Pakistan executed 324 people as part of its terror crackdown, but most weren’t militants
A human rights group's report claims that many of those executed were juveniles, mentally ill, tortured or had not received a fair trial.
A human rights group has said that while Pakistan executed 324 people in 2015, most of them were not linked to any militant groups or terror outfits, Reuters reported. Pakistan had a moratorium on executions in 2014, but changed its stand saying it was a necessary mechanism to crack down on militancy in the aftermath of the Peshawar school attacks in which 134 children and 19 adults were killed.
These details are highlighted in a report written by NGO Reprieve and the Justice Project Pakistan. According to the report, the country ranked third in number of executions in 2015, after China and Iran. It also claimed that it had collated media and prison reports to find that juveniles, mentally ill prisoners, torture victims and those who had not received fair trials were among those executed.
The numbers of casualties from militant attacks have decreased since 2014, though it is not clear if this is a result of the government's harsh action.
