ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, Thursday confirmed the death sentence of ten ‘hardcore terrorists’, who were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism including killing of innocent civilians, polio workers, NGO employees, police officials and Armed Forces personnel, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The convicts admitted their offences before the magistrates and the trial courts, an army statement said. Fire-arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession. These convicts were tried by military courts.
The convicts were active members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. The army courts were set up after the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 for the speedy trial of those accused in terrorism related cases. The convicts have the right to appeal to the President under the law. The President has previously rejected all mercy petitions in terrorism-related cases.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had advised the President to reject all mercy petitions of the militants as they have been responsible for the killing of the security personnel and civilians. NNI