PAKISTAN: MORATORIUM ON EXECUTIONS EXPIRED

July 4, 2013: Pakistan's new government ended the moratorium on executions, an official said.
Under the previous government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), no one except a soldier convicted by court martial was put to death since 2008.
But the PPP suffered a crushing defeat in historic elections on 11 May, which swept to power the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
A presidential order imposing a moratorium on the death penalty, issued in 2008, expired on 30 June.
"The new government has decided to deal with all cases of execution on merit," said Interior Ministry spokesman Umer Hameed.
"The government has given clear instructions to see all such cases on a case-by-case basis and there will be no general amnesty for the convicts waiting for execution," he said.
The interior ministry spokesman said up to 450 convicts are awaiting execution and their cases will be examined. The government will show sympathy towards convicts who fall into a "special category" such as women and the elderly, he said. (Sources: AFP, 04/07/2013)