APS attack – Six militants have been sentenced to death over their involvement in an attack on the Army Public School in the northern city of Peshawar.
According to the authorities, seven “hardcore terrorists” were found guilty of links to the Peshawar school attack and to the soldiers of Sindh Rangers at Karachi’s Safoora Chowk. One of the convicted was handed life imprisonment and others were given death penalty. They have the right to appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court of the country.
“The convicts were given a fair trial by following all the legal formalities and providing them legal aid and defense counsels,” said by a military official. These are the first death sentences approved by the army chief following the establishment of military courts in the country. In order to establish the said courts, Parliament passed constitutional amendment and the political parties supported these judicial body to tackle rising terrorist activities in the region.
This is the first time that terrorists are handed out a sentence in connection to Army Public School massacre. However, those facing the penalty are not the ones who took part in the assault. In fact, all seven terrorists were killed in a rescue operation launched by the Special Services Group (SSG).
The violence brought by the terrorists to the Army Public School in Peshawar last December shocked the whole nation where they stormed into the school and opened fire on children and school staff, which killed at least 140 people mainly children. In response to the brutality of the insurgents, Pakistan lifted a seven-year moratorium on executions. Since then about 200 people have been executed in different prisons nationwide, however many of them were not convicted of terror offences. IMAGE/AFP
