ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed has signed off on the death sentences for 30 terrorists, including some convicted for the 2014 Taliban attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed 144 schoolchildren.

The militants were tried in military courts set up by authorities after the APS attack. In cases of capital punishment handed down by military courts, in trials conducted behind closed doors, the army chief is required to confirm the sentences.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, the trial process was expedited during Operation Raddul Fasaad.

These terrorists were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism, including kidnapping and slaughtering soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary, attack on Saidu Sharif airport, killing of innocent civilians, attacking armed forces and law enforcement agencies apart from the APS attack, according to the ISPR statement.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2017