LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday demanded reform of the criminal justice system before hanging more people on the death row and continuing with the death penalty under the National Action Plan (NAP).

In a demonstration on World Day Against Death Penalty, which the commission held at the Lahore Press Club, it maintained that due to critical and well-documented deficiencies in the law and administration of justice, death penalty allowed a very high probability of miscarriage of justice, which was unacceptable in any civilised society, particularly when the punishment was irreversible.

Participants at the demonstration were carrying placards and shouting slogans regarding abolishing death penalty and reforming the criminal justice system.

Addressing the participants, HRCP Secretary General LA.

Rehman demanded the govern-ment reform the criminal justice system before hanging people.

`It is obvious that none of the reasons for stopping executions in 2008 have changed. Things have rather deteriorated. We have seen how real the possibility of hanging minors and mentally and physically challenged individuals can be. Grave concerns have arisen over the denial of fair trial and due process rights in trial by military courts. In these circumstances, it is imperative to immediately halt executions, restore the moratorium and move towards abolition of the death penalty.

A brochure that the HRCP distributed on the occasion stated that since resuming executions in December 2014, Pakistan had hanged 425 individuals. By executing 333 convicts in 2015 alone, Pakistan joined the ranks of the top executioners in the world.

Courts continued to award capital punishment to suspects at a rapid rate. As many as 225 individuals had been sentenced in 2014 and 411 in 2015. The number of convictions had already reached 301 by the end of September this year.

Almost two years after the authorities decided to place execution of death sentence convicts at the top of the 20-point NAP, it was essential to assess if the objectives for resumption of executions had been achieved.

The `investigation methods` of police and chronic corruption also added to the troubles of those who were charged with capital offences.

The system of justice was loaded against the poor and lack of financial means put those accused of death penalty offences at a seriousdisadvantage.

Capital has had no special deterrent effect. Even though Pakistan has had one of the highest rates of conviction to capital punishment, and now execution in the world, the incidence of death penalty offences had not declined.

Religion was often invoked to justify capital punishment, yet in fact no more than a couple of the 27 death penalty offences on the statute books in Pakistan were mandated by religion.

Capital punishment smacked of retributive `justice` from ancient times that should have no place in modern society where the objective must be reformation, rehabilitation and reclaiming of a person to society, and not exacting revenge.