Pakistan Plans to Execute 500 ‘Terrorists’ in Coming Weeks

Aamir Qureshi—AFP

Interior minister urges civilians to report any suspicious behavior to security officials.

The Government of Pakistan plans to execute approximately 500 convicted terrorists in the coming weeks, according to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who claimed the decision to end the death penalty moratorium was not motivated by the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar that left nearly 150 dead.

“The government took the decision before the Peshawar school attack in light of the Army chief’s suggestion to resume capital punishment as a deterrent to terrorists found guilty,” he told a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday. “We will only execute militants whose appeals for mercy have been rejected by the president [Mamnoon Hussain],” he added.

Denying the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s claim that the Army Public School in Peshawar had been targeted in retaliation for Operation Zarb-e-Azb deliberately targeting civilians in the tribal areas, Khan said the Army would never act against an unarmed citizen. “Our Army is an Islamic and very responsible Army and will never go for any immoral act,” he added.

The interior minister said the government had no plans to shut down madrassahs in Pakistan, claiming that over “90 percent” were free of militancy and were following the “anti-terrorism policy of the state.” He said the word “Talib” referred to a student and declaring all “Talibs” terrorists was not on the cards.

Praising the national unity against terrorism following the Peshawar attack, he said every politician had set aside his or her personal differences to combat the threat. However, he said, a lot more needs to be done. “Pakistani citizens need to be more vigilant,” he said. “People should inform security agencies if they encounter any suspicious activities.” Khan assured civilians their identities would be kept anonymous and urged them to call in on a military helpline to identify any potential sources of militancy.

“We need to be more focused about our surroundings,” he said. “Terrorists pay above market rate for renting houses … if you’re renting a house, you should examine this. If any terrorist is arrested from a rented house, the owner of the house will also be held liable,” he added. “Even tandoors must take note of customers who buy 50 rotis or more on a regular basis and inform authorities,” he said.

According to Khan, the battle against the TTP is not a limited engagement. “This is not a conventional war. The enemy is within our borders and we need to take care,” he said. He said the government would present its national policy on counter-terrorism within two days.