ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday rejected appeal to mercy of 17 criminals convicted for death penalty.

Out of those 17 convicted for terrorism, 10 belong to Punjab, six from Sindh and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The execution is expected to be carried soon, Dawn has learnt.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had lifted moratorium on death penalty for those convicted for terrorism after a deadly attack on Army Public School in Peshawar left more than 130 children dead on Dec 16.

Read: Nawaz removes moratorium on death penalty

Addressing an All Parties Conference (APC), the premier had announced that the moratorium on death penalty, which was imposed under international pressure, has been lifted.

LHC directs federal, provincial govts to submit comments on death row convicts

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed provisional and federal governments to submit their para-wise comments by January 9, 2015, regarding inmates who were convicted on terrorism charges and are currently on death row.

Judicial Activism Panel Chairman Mohammad Azhar Siddique filed an application a day before, in which he asked the court to direct the federal and provisional governments in the process of issuing death warrants for those convicted for terrorism, and are currently on death row.

Siddique in his application also sought answers to questions as to why it was taking so long for the death warrants to be issued and why were some cases still pending.

Read: ‘End of moratorium to affect those convicted under anti-terror laws’

Prime Minister Nawaz meets President Mamnoon

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met President Mamnoon Hussain at the President House and apprised him about the decisions made at the APC in Peshawar.

Both the heads approved of a decisive action against terrorists for swift elimination of terrorism across Pakistan and said that children could not be left on the mercy of terrorists.

President Mamnoon backed all executive orders against elimination of terrorists and said no mercy appeal of any convicted terrorist would be accepted, Presidential spokesman told Dawn.

President Mamnoon and Prime Minister Nawaz termed consensus of all political stakeholders in the country showed Pakistan's real strength of its war against terrorism.

Read: Apologists will be regarded as terrorists, allies of terrorists, says Sherry Rehman