Pakistan Reinstates Death Penalty For Terrorists

I'm a little confused over Pakistan's stance on the death penalty after reading an article on Al Arabiya.

Pakistan announced Wednesday it will end its moratorium on the death penalty in terror-related cases, the prime minister’s office said a day after Taliban militants killed 141 students and school staff in the country's bloodiest ever terror attack.

“The prime minister has approved abolishment of moratorium on the execution of death penalty in terrorism-related cases,” an official from Sharif’s office said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Hanging remains on the Pakistani statute book and judges continue to pass the death sentence, but a de facto moratorium on civilian executions has been in place since 2008.

So, people who have been sentenced to death for blasphemy and adultery won't actually be executed? Just rot away in prison, or executed by radical Islamist vigilantes?

Apparently, the moratorium was also applicable to terrorists, until now. It took the revenge massacre of a bunch of innocent kids by the Pakistani Taliban to change that.

And it seems the Afghan Taliban are taking the moral high ground regarding the school massacre by their Pakistani brethren Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always condemned the killing of children and innocent people at every juncture," the Afghan Taliban, which often target civilians, said in a statement released late Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.

"The intentional killing of innocent people, women and children goes against the principles of Islam and every Islamic government and movement must adhere to this fundamental essence,” the statement read.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the official name of the Taliban) expresses its condolences over the incident and mourns with the families of killed children," it added.

Muslims condemn the killing of school kids and innocent people, any yet it happens all the time.

Beheading: The Muslim Radical's Favorite Pastime

There have been a recent spate of beheadings, which seems to be the favorite pastime of Muslim extremists.  The most recent head found separated from its body was in Egypt's North Sinai. The man, Manazil Bereikat, was captured and killed by Bedouin Islamists because they believed he was responsible for killing a fellow extremist, Ibrahim Ouda Bereikat. Bereikat, the militant not the decapitated chap, was killed in an explosion as he was about to lob a rocket into Israel. How's that for instant karma and a little poetic justice, to boot. Security officials think it might have been a landmine, the militants believe it was a booby trap, bottom line- Manazil could have been innocent, but that really doesn't matter since a life is expendable in the minds of jihadists.

Two others accused of being involved are thought to have escaped to Israel.

Then you have the Pakistani Taliban who videotaped, for posterity, the decapitated heads of about 12 or so soldiers. I suppose since they don't watch movies this is their form of entertainment. Oh, goody let's watch "Beheadings II- Bloodlust" again.

Apparently at least 15 soldiers went missing after a skirmish with the Taliban last Tuesday.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Sirajud Din sent AFP a video showing a militant commander posing with 12 heads arranged on the ground which he claimed were from soldiers they had killed.

“Praise be to God that the mujahideen in Bajaur agency have managed to kill the infidel soldiers of Pakistan,” he says.

“Many of them were killed by bullets, 12 of them as you see have been beheaded, you see 12 heads here, and more heads are on the way.”

The commander, his face unmasked and wearing traditional tribal dress, is flanked in the footage by around a dozen armed men including one wielding a huge axe.

And let's not forget those 17 Afghan villagers who were beheaded late August because they were just having a little fun.

And the 17 Pakistani soldiers back in June.

Hmm. 17 seems to be the magic number.

But it's not just extremists who relish a good beheading, there's the official decapitations that take place in countries like Saudi Arabia, where this Sri Lankan woman faces beheading for bogus allegations of "casting a spell" on a 13 year-old shopper, this old woman was beheaded after being accused of witchcraft.

These are just from the past year. As we all know, this is something that happens all too often.