Pakistan to execute 500 militants after school massacre

Pakistan is due to execute around 500 terrorists in coming weeks, following Premier Nawaz Sharif’s move to end a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases.

According to AFP, an unnamed senior government official on Monday: “Interior Ministry has finalized the cases of 500 convicts who have exhausted all the appeals, their mercy petitions have been turned down by the president and their executions will take place in coming weeks.”

The country has already hanged six militants since Friday amid growing public anger over the December 16 terror attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar, which killed 149 people, including 133 children.

Five of those militants executed so far were involved in an attempt to assassinate the then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2003, while one was involved in an assault on army headquarters four years ago.

Pakistan’s decision to resume the execution of death-row convicts came as its political and military leaders have vowed to wipe out homegrown pro-Taliban terrorism following the recent school carnage.