PAKISTAN: TWO TERRORISTS EXECUTED AFTER THE GOVERNMENT ENDED A MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL

two convicted terrorists were hanged in Pakistan just two days after the Nawaz Sharif government ended a moratorium on capital punishment in terror-related cases following the Taliban-perpetrated massacre at a military-run school in Peshawar in which 148 people, mostly children, were killed.
Aqeel alias Dr Usman, a former serviceman, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of involvement in the attack on Rawalpindi's Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in 2009. He was also convicted for the attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in the same year. Arshad Mehmood, also known as Mehrban, was convicted for an assassination attempt on former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf in 2003.
"Yes, two militants Aqeel alias Doctor Usman and Arshad Mehmood have been hanged in Faisalabad jail," Shuja Khanzada, Home Minister of central Punjab province, where executions took place, told AFP.
Four more executions will reportedly take place tomorrow in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore where a high alert has been sounded.
On Thursday, Pakistan's military chief Raheel Sharif signed death warrants for six terrorists on death row. Security officials said the six had been convicted by a military court and were awaiting execution.
Pakistan imposed a de facto moratorium on civilian executions in 2008, though hanging remains on the statute book and judges continue to pass the death sentence.
Only one person was executed since - a soldier convicted by a court martial and hanged in November 2012.