Pakistan PM wants school attack mercy pleas rejected

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday requested President Mamnoon Hussain to reject the mercy petitions of four convicted terrorists involved in the December 16, 2014, attack on Peshawar's Army Public School.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists were sentenced to death by military courts, Dawn online reported.

While making the request, the premier said Pakistan has changed after the Peshawar tragedy.

He said the brutal and merciless killing of the children "convinced us that the perpetrators of such crimes do not deserve any mercy".

“Establishment of military courts through these amendments has enabled us to bring the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes to justice in a short span of time. The death sentence awarded to the four terrorists, in fact, was the will of the entire nation," Sharif said. 

"By rejecting the mercy petition of these terrorists, I am also reflecting the will of the people and honouring the promise made to the families of my children who lost their lives in the Army Public School tragedy.”

The death sentences of the convicts involved in the attack were approved by Army chief Raheel Sharif in August this year.

TTP had claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack which saw a group of suicide bombers entering the school and firing indiscriminately at the students, teachers and staff members.

At least 140 students were among those killed in the attack.