Iran has executed a group of 20 terrorist prisoners for committing several murders and undermining national security. According to the country’s intelligence ministry 24 armed attacks took place between 2009 and 2011 and two terrorist outfits were identified as responsible for killing of innocent people.
We are sure that hanging of 20 terrorists at a time would send a clear message to those indulging in heinous crimes that there is no escape and they will have to face the nemesis. Terrorists are terrorists and they should be treated as such but unfortunately they go scot free because of loopholes in the system – flaws in investigation, corruption of police, inability of witnesses to record their statements, vulnerability of judges and their families, patronage of the crime by influential people and corruption in judiciary. Terrorists kill humanity and deserve no leniency and therefore, they must be treated with same kind of terror to instil fear among them. In Pakistan too, the normal judicial system miserably failed to curb terrorism as hardly any terrorist has been awarded any worthwhile punishment over the last two decades. It was because of weaknesses of the system that the mechanism of special anti-terrorist courts was introduced and military courts to try hardcore criminals and terrorists were also established. These military courts, on their part, also awarded death sentences to dozens of them but convicts are not meeting their fate because of judicial rigmaroles. Therefore, we would urge that Iranian example should serve as a model of deterrence against terrorism.