Pakistan did not vote in favour of death penalty ban, FO clarifies

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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Tuesday said that all reports conveying the news that Pakistan had voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for a moratorium on executions a day earlier were incorrect.

“Pakistan, in accordance with its consistent policy, voted against the General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on execution, with a view to abolishing the death penalty,” Dr Faisal said in a tweet.

In a second tweet, he further explained that Pakistan’s vote was “inaccurately recorded” in favour of the resolution ” due to technical issues”.

Earlier on Monday, it was reported by the Amnesty International that Pakistan, along with United Nations (UN) members Dominica, Libya and Malaysia had changed its vote to support the resolution.

According to a Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) report, Pakistan accounts for 13 per cent of all global executions since December 2014, after lifting a de facto moratorium on executions.