LAHORE: The Punjab government is amending the Prisons Rules 1978 to allow execution of a convicted terrorist a day after his black warrant is issued.

The move is part of concerted efforts being made by the federal and provincial governments and law-enforcement agencies to hunt down terrorists. A presidential moratorium on death penalty was lifted after a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Sources said on Thursday that under the existing rules, the execution of a convict was carried out 14 to 21 days after the issuance of a black warrant.

The amendment, they said, would rid the government of many unnecessary burdens and help it to divert funds and extraordinary security arrangements for convicts to the protection of civilians.

“A convicted terrorist costs the government Rs10,000 a day in terms of special security arrangements in jails. This means we are using public money to protect a potential threat to people and the country,” an official said.

According to the sources, the execution of convicts will help speed up trials in courts and also give a message to police to properly investigate terrorism-related cases to catch up with the efforts to deal sternly with them under the law.

There are 14 anti-terrorism courts in Punjab and they have convicted terrorists in 178 cases and granted acquittals in 226 cases this year.

The number of those convicted stands at 256 – 43 of them sentenced to death and 66 life imprisonment.

There are 421 pending cases and officials say appeals against the acquittals have been filed in the Lahore High Court.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2014