ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Six terrorists, whose death warrants were signed by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Thursday, are likely to be hanged in next 24 hours.
The army chief signed the death warrants of six hardcore terrorists on late Thursday night after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium on capital punishment following the country’s bloodiest ever terror attack which claimed lives of over 130 school children in Peshawar.
The meetings between the death convicts and their family members have been arranged.
Aqeel alias Dr Usman, one of six hardcore terrorists whose black warrants were signed by the COAS, is more likely to be the first and executed before dawn tomorrow.
Dr Usman, the lone convict in the army’s General Headquarter (GHQ) attack case, has been shifted from central jail to district jail in Faisalabad. The jail authorities have received his death warrants.
On October 10 2009, 10 heavily armed militants wearing suicide vests stormed the GHQ and killed 11 soldiers.
The Pakistan army retaliated and killed 9 attackers while Dr Usman, who was among the attackers and injured in an exchange of fire with the soldiers, was captured.
Later, a military court awarded death sentence to Dr Usman in 2011.
Rules for capital punishment changed in Punjab
Meanwhile, rules for capital punishment has been changed in Punjab. Now following the change in rules, a prisoner could be hanged 24 hours after his mercy petition is rejected.
