Pakistan's top court suspends execution of death penalties to 6 militants

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday stopped execution of six militants who had been awarded death penalties early this month over terrorism charges.

Military courts handed down death sentence to six "hardcore terrorists" on April 2 in first ever verdict since their establishment in January.

The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had decided to set up military-led special courts after the Taliban's brutal attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in December last year that had killed 140 children and 10 of their teachers.

Lawyers had challenged establishment of the military court on the plea that they are "unconstitutional."

The Supreme Court of Pakistan stayed the implementation of military court's death penalties to six persons until it delivers a verdict about the fate of these courts, lawyers said.

A 17-member bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice, Nasir ul Mulk, heard several identical petitions against the military court. The court also issued notice to the Attorney General to respond to the objections at the military courts.

The court will resume hearing of the case on April 22.

Petitioner Asma Jehangir told the bench that there are a lot of "arguments against the military courts," requesting the judges to stay the hanging of six convicts till the verdict issued about these courts.

The government defends establishment of the military court for speedy trial of what it calls hardcore terrorists blamed for attacks on the security forces.

The court had formally started work in February and the interior ministry had sent 12 terrorism-related cases.