ISLAMABAD - As military operation Raddul Fasaad is in full swing, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday signed black warrants of another thirty hardcore terrorists.

The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said these terrorists, some of them linked to attacks on the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar in 20014, were awarded death sentences by the military courts.

APS Peshawar attack had claimed lives of more than hundred innocent people, including teachers and students, which led to launching of major operation Zarb-e-Azb.

Consequently, Pakistan armed forces successfully re-established writ of the state especially in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan and the port city of Karachi.

ISPR said these terrorists were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism including attack on APS Peshawar, kidnapping and slaughtering soldiers of Frontier Constabulary, attack on Saidu Sharif airport, Swat killing of innocent civilians, attacking Armed Forces of Pakistan and Law Enforcement Agencies.

It further said that the process expedited during Operation Raddul-Fasaad which was launched in last February this year after series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan leaving more than one hundred people dead and almost its double number were injured.

Earlier this month, military courts were reinstated for two more years after a tug of war between the government and opposition parties over the way of their functioning.

Government and opposition parties had expressed reservations regarding mystery surrounding military court trials: no one knows who the convicts are, what charges have been brought against them, or what their defence is against the allegations levelled.

However, last month, the parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the revival of the courts.

ISPR Director General Maj. Gen Asif Ghafoor told a press briefing on Monday that 274 terrorists had been convicted by the military courts established by the government in 2015.

Out of 274, 161 have been awarded death sentences while others were sentenced to imprisonment. “Of 161, eleven have been executed since launch of Raddul Fassad” Ghafoor added.

The DG ISPR said that one hundred and eight terrorists have been killed since February 22 during Raddul Fasaad which is largely aimed at stabilising the gains of the previous military operations launched to eliminate terrorism.

 He said that fifteen major operations, 4535 Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) and 723 joint check posts operations have been conducted by the security forces so far.

DG ISPR said that 4,510 suspects have been arrested while 558 surrendered to the security forces. In addition, 1849 unregistered Afghans were also detained. Likewise, he informed that 4,083 weapons as well as 6,22,195 of ammunition have been recovered by the security forces during these operations.