Pakistan Army Chief Signs Death Warrants of 30 Hardcore Terrorists

Pak Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa

Islamabad: Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday signed execution orders of 30 “hardcore terrorists” convicted by the controversial special military courts for their involvement in several terror cases including the 2014 Army Public School attack in Peshawar.

The terrorists were involved in heinous terror offences including kidnapping and slaughtering soldiers of Frontier Constabulary, attack on Saidu Sharif airport, killing of innocent civilians, attacking Armed Forces of Pakistan and Law Enforcement Agencies, said military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor.

They were also involved in the deadly attack on the Peshawar army school in which more than 150 people, mostly children, were gunned down by terrorists, he said.

“Chief of Army Staff (COAS) signed execution orders (Black Warrants) of another 30 hard core terrorists who were awarded death sentence by Military Courts,” Ghafoor said.

The process of punishing terrorists was expedited during operation Radd-ul-Fasaad launched in February, he said , adding that the military courts had decided 274 cases and awarded death sentence to 161 militants so far.

Pakistan’s controversial special military courts to try hardcore militants were revived on March 31 for a period of two years amid a surge in terror attacks across the country.

The military courts were set up in January 2015 after a Taliban attack the army school in Peshawar killed 150 people, mostly children.