Pakistan executes 4 Taliban terrorists convicted by military courts

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday hanged four more “hardcore” Taliban terrorists, a day after executing an equal number of militants convicted of “heinous” terrorism-related offences by the military courts. [caption id=“attachment_694583” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The terrorists, who were involved in the killing of civilians, destroying educational institutions and attacking armed forces were executed early today in in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)said in a statement. “Today another 4 hardcore terrorists, who were tried by Military Courts have been executed,” the statement said. “These terrorists were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism, including killing of civilians, destroying educational institutions, attacking the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, and Saidu Sharif airport, the ISPR said. Those executed were identified as Bakht-e-Ameer, Asghar Khan, Muhammad Nawaz and Mushtaq Ahmed. All of them were active members of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the statement said. Military courts were restored in March for another two years after their initial two-year term expired in January. The courts were set up after a constitutional amendment following a terror attack on an Army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 which killed more than 150 people, most of them students. Human rights group Justice Project Pakistan says 441 people have been executed since the Peshawar attack. Pakistan has been fighting various extremist groups for over a decade. Militant attacks have killed tens of thousands of people. The military courts have handed down the death penalty to more than 160 militants.