Pak army chief confirms death sentence of 9 hardcore militants

Islamabad: Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday confirmed the death sentence of nine 'hardcore' militants who were convicted by special military courts for carrying out a series of attacks across the country.

Army spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa in a tweet announced that nine militants have been given death sentence.

"COAS confirms death sentence of nine hardcore terrorists," he tweeted.

He said they were involved in killing civilians and Law Enforcing Agencies (LEA) persons in different parts of the country.

Those convicted were also involved in sectarian attacks in Mastung, killing of civilians and security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suicide attack in Nowshehra and the improvised explosive device attacks on military convoy in Swat, Bajwa said.

One terrorist has also been awarded life imprisonment, he said.

There are currently nine military courts in the country. The army chief recently agreed to increase the number of tribunals in Karachi.

Political parties had unanimously agreed over the issue of setting up military courts to tackle terrorism cases in the country following the gruesome attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16 last year, in which more than 150 people, mostly children, were killed.

Following the attack, the Parliament passed the 21st constitutional amendment to set up the said courts.

The apex court did however keep the power to review sentences in certain cases, where it feels the condition of fair trial is not met.

It was not known when the trial court had awarded them death sentence which should be confirmed by the army chief before the convicts can appeal against it in a high court.

The military courts have given death sentence to at least 13 militants since its establishment.