Pakistan overtakes Saudi Arabia, executes 150 in 6 months
Islamabad
The Pakistani government has executed 150 prisoners in the last six months, making them one of the world's most prolific executioners, surpassing Saudi Arabia, amidst concerns that many of those to be executed gave false confessions under torture.
Pakistan previously had a moratorium on the death penalty, that began in 2008, but lifted at the end of 2014, in the wake of the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar, that killed 132 children.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium only on executions linked to terrorism offences, making the 50 prisoners convicted of these offences, facing execution again.
On March 10 this year, the moratorium was completely lifted, that sentenced 8,500 people to death.
The 150th execution shows the number of executions in Pakistan has surpassed that in Saudi Arabia, executing 90 people, and the US, with 14, in the same period.
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