Pakistan hangs 2 terrorists in Faislabad, Army chief hails executions
Aqeel alias Dr Usman was injured and captured alive during the attack at Rawalpindi's Army General Headquarters in 2009 and sentenced to death, while Arshad Mehmood, also known as Mehrban, was convicted for an assassination attempt on former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistan on Friday executed two terrorists in Faislabad after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted moratorium on the death penalty following an attack on an army school in Peshawar.
Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif hailed the executions by a tweet saying "go to hell". He has also said that 8 other terrorists would be hanged shortly.
Go to Hell...
#PeshawarAttack pic.twitter.com/3E5HicgiNz; Gen Raheel Sharif (@ImRaheelSharif) December 19, 2014
advertisement8 more terrorists to be hanged anytime soon. Death warrants received by Jail Superintendents.
#PeshawarAttack; Gen Raheel Sharif (@ImRaheelSharif) December 19, 2014
Aqeel alias Dr Usman was injured and captured alive during the attack at Rawalpindi's Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in 2009 and sentenced to death, while Arshad Mehmood, also known as Mehrban, was convicted for an assassination attempt on former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf.
The two are among 17 terrorists who would be executed in the first phase after the end of self-imposed moratorium by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the wake of Tuesday's Peshawar school massacre, in which 132 children were mercilessly shot at point-blank range.
Major private TV channels reported that both Aqeel and Mehmood were hanged at about 9.00 pm (local time) in Faisalabad jail.
Medical check-up of both militants was conducted and they were allowed to record their last will before executions. No official was immediately available to comment on the executions. Earlier, a senior official said that Aqeel's family met him for the last time in Faisalabad jail where preparations were made to hang him as there was no legal hurdle to his execution.
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif last night signed death warrants of six persons involved in terrorism against the armed forces. Mehmood was among the five sentenced to death for the attack on Musharraf in 2003 who survived but 15 other people were killed.
Pakistan ended its moratorium on the death penalty a day after terrorists attacked Peshawar's Army Public School, killing 148 people, most of them children. Several militants are in line to be executed and will be hanged in coming days, including four militants held in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore who are expected to be hanged on Saturday.