Pakistan anti-terrorism court approves six death warrants

Karachi: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan, Saturday, approved death warrants of six convicted terrorists lodged in the Karachi Central Jail.

Earlier in the day, jail officials filed a request in the ATC seeking death warrants of eight convicted terrorists.

The eight prisoners, Saeed Ahmed, Zulfiqar Ali, Khalil Ahmed, Talha Hasan, Shahid Haneef, Saulat Mirza, Behraam Khan and Shafqat Hussain belonged to various banned outfits and political parties and some were guilty of murder, The News International reported.

On Dec 17, Pakistan ended its moratorium on death penalty in terror-related cases, following a terrorist attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar Dec 16, in which Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants massacred 150 people, including 140 school children.

Seven convicts have been hanged so far in Pakistan after the moratorium on the death penalty was withdrawn.