Pakistan on December 21 hanged four Islamic militants -- including a Russian citizen -- in the second set of executions since Islamabad lifted a death-penalty moratorium in the aftermath of a school massacre by the Pakistani Taliban.
None of those hanged had anything to do with the killing of 132 children and nine others by Taliban gunmen at an army-run school in Peshawar on December 16.
A Punjab provincial official identified the four as Rasheed Qureshi, Zubair Ahmad, Ghulam Sarwar, and a Russian named Akhlaque Ahmed, who was also known as Russi.
They were executed at a tightly guarded Faisalabad jail for their role in attacking Pakistan’s former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf.
Two other Islamic militants were executed at the same prison on December 19.
Officials said more executions of death-row inmates are expected in the coming days, including some in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s power base city of Lahore.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
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