Death sentence implementation temporarily stopped over president’s directions: Pervaiz Rashid

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Monday said that the government has temporarily stopped implementation of death sentence on request of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Talking to a news channel, he said according to constitution the president has authority to take final decision about death sentence to prisoners. He said the president wrote letter to Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif for discussing death sentence law.

Pervaiz Rashid said the president was abroad therefore the finial decision for implementing death sentence would be made after the president will return to the country.

The information minister said the government launched rescue and relief operation in flood affected areas. He said that local bodies elections would be held in the country soon because the prime minister believed on strengthening of local leadership.

To a question, he said Sikandar standoff in Islamabad was his personal act, adding that the government is devising new comprehensive policy for eliminating terrorism from the country.