Imran's party terms Sharif's stay on execution of three militants 'un-Islamic'

A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) leader has said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's decision to stay the execution of three death row militants between August 20 and 22, is an 'un-Islamic act'.

According to the Express Tribune, Ali Muhammad Khan questioned the Pakistan Government's decision in the National Assembly. He pointedly asked under which law had the prime minister suspended the death penalties?

In July, the government had announced that it would not extend the moratorium on executions that ended this year. As a result, the court had started sending execution summaries to the presidency.

However, Sharif had issued stay orders on Sunday following a letter by President Asif Ali Zardari saying that he wanted to set up a meeting to discuss the issue of the long-pending death sentences of hundreds of convicts once he returns from his trip abroad.

Ali Khan, however, blamed the government for taking the decision to stay the executions under international pressure.

PPP MNA Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho clarified that there was a need for strengthening investigation procedures and removing loopholes in the system that had earlier resulted in the deaths of innocents, instead of criminals.