The European Union (EU) on Wednesday reacted sharply to the lifting of the moratorium on death penalty in Pakistan, and has demanded its immediate restoration.
“We believe that the death penalty is not an effective tool in the fight against terrorism,” EU envoy to Pakistan Lars-Gunnar Wigemark and other delegates said in a joint statement.
The envoy further added that 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 more than 130 schoolchildren.
Wigenmark also 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.
On the other hand, the envoy assured that the EU stands by Pakistan’s side and shares its grief after the horrific attack on the school in Peshawar.
The EU delegation also welcomed the resolve of Pakistanis to deal with the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism in all of its manifestation.
