LAHORE/FAISALABAD/MULTAN/SAHIWAL: Four death row convicts were sent to the gallows in jails across Punjab early Saturday morning.
A convict named Ehsaan was sentenced to death by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in 2002 for committing a murder. He was executed today at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Central Jail.
His appeals against the sentence were previously rejected by the apex court and President Mamnoon, following which his death warrants were issued by the ATC two days ago.
Separately, Mohammad Saleem — who was a resident of Faisalabad's Millat Colony — was sent to the gallows at Faisalabad Central Jail after his death warrants were issued by an ATC. Previously, his appeals against the conviction were rejected by President Mamnoon Hussain.
He was sentenced to death by a sessions court in Faisalabad in 2004 for murdering his cousin.
Meanwhile, a man named Abdul Ghaffar from Muzaffargarh was executed in Multan Central Jail for killing three individuals — including his wife in 1990. He was sentenced to death by a sessions court in Muzaffargarh. Last week, his death warrants were sent to the jail administration after which he was hanged today.
A man named Wazir — resident of Mianwali — was hanged in Sahiwal Central Jail for committing a murder in Rajanpur in 1991 over a domestic dispute.
In 1996, Wazir had been sentenced to death by a sessions judge in Rajanpur and his appeals were rejected by the top courts and President Mamnoon Hussain.
The jail administration received Wazir's death warrants three days ago and he was hanged this morning.
The ruling PML-N government had lifted the moratorium on the death penalty on Dec 17, 2014, in terrorism related cases in the wake of a Taliban attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar, which claimed 141 lives, most of them children. Later, the government completely reinstated capital punishment for all offences that entail the death penalty.
Also read: Death penalty moratorium lifted completely in Pakistan: Officials
The United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged the government to re-impose the moratorium on the death penalty.
