Pakistan gives a ‘damn’ to EU over death penalty

By Raza Ruman

Islamabad (Pak Destiny) Pakistan has given a ‘damn’ to the European Union (EU) for opposing lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty in Pakistan.
Interestingly, the United States has not opposed the Nawaz-governmen’s decision.
“We believe that the death penalty is not an effective tool in the fight against terrorism,” the EU envoy to Pakistan Lars-Gunnar Wigemark and other delegates said in a joint statement. The EU delegation regrets the decision of the Pakistani government to lift the moratorium on executions, which had been in place since 2008.
Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty after a Taliban attack in Peshawar killed 148 people, including 134 schoolchildren.
In the wake of the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty, six death-row prisoners, who were convicted for involvement in an attack on former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, were executed last week at a district jail in Faisalabad.
Ambassador Wigenmark said that the EU remains opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and expressed hope that the moratorium will be re-established at the earliest.
Pakistan did not bother to respond to EU’s concern over death penlty which is indeed a bold step.
Similarly, US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said Wednesday that the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty in Pakistan is the latter’s internal issue.
The EU should shun “mamageeri” and follow the US on this issue. Pak Destiny

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