Twenty-seven executions were reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2010, down from 67 in 2009 and 102 in 2008. – Reuters (File Photo)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday beheaded a Pakistani convicted of killing a fellow citizen in the holy city of Mecca, the official SPA news agency said.

“Tareq Gaweid Ghulam, a Pakistani, has killed Aref Khuda Bakhsh, (another) Pakistani, using an axe... because of a dispute between them,” reported SPA, adding that Ghulam was executed Sunday.

This brought to 18 the number of executions in the kingdom this year, according to an AFP count.

In 2010, 27 executions were reported, down from 67 in 2009 and 102 in 2008.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under the kingdom’s strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Opinion

Editorial

Mixed signals
Updated 28 Dec, 2024

Mixed signals

If Imran wants talks to yield results, he should authorise PTI’s committee to fully engage with the other side without setting deadlines.
Opaque trials
Updated 28 Dec, 2024

Opaque trials

Secretive trials, shielded from scrutiny, fail to provide the answers that citizens deserve.
A friendly neighbour
28 Dec, 2024

A friendly neighbour

FORMER Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh who passed away on Thursday at 92 was a renowned economist who pulled ...
Desperate measures
Updated 27 Dec, 2024

Desperate measures

Sadly in Pakistan, street protests and sit-ins have become the only resort to catch the attention of a callous power elite.
Economic outlook
27 Dec, 2024

Economic outlook

THE post-pandemic years, marked by extreme volatility in the global oil and commodity markets as well as slowing...
Cricket and visas
27 Dec, 2024

Cricket and visas

PAKISTAN has asserted that delay in the announcement of the schedule of next year’s Champions Trophy will not...