Two men were hanged for murder in the remote Pakistani...

Two men were hanged for murder in the remote Pakistani town of Much on May 7. The murderers begged for mercy, but to no avail. Such a brutal execution is not that uncommon in Pakistan. What was surprising was the identity of the protagonists-and the extent of their vengeful bloodlust.
The condemned men had murdered Meena, founder of the Revolutionary Afghan Women's Association (RAWA), and two of her aides, in 1987. They would have faced life in prison, but RAWA pushed the Supreme Court to change the sentences to death. Several female relatives of the victims even felt that the murderers should be carved into tiny pieces, deeming hanging too pleasant. While RAWA is much admired in the West for its brave stand against the Taliban's abuse of women-including executions-and the group officially opposes the death penalty, it made an exception because Meena's murder was politically motivated, said a spokesperson.Not even top-level intervention could stop RAWA from exacting a bloodthirsty revenge. Afghan officials, including interim leader Hamid Karzai, pleaded for mercy. The Afghan consul general in Quetta, Habibullah Aliyar, also tried. "I said, forgive them or you're just like the Taliban," Habibullah said. But the answer was no.