By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Secretive Pakistani military courts have sentenced to death six Taliban militants for their involvement in last year's deadly raid on a school in the city of Peshawar.
The army's media wing, Inter Services Public Relations, revealed Thursday the verdict for the militants found guilty of supporting the attack, which killed more than 150 people, most of them children, in December.
Another militant involved in the Peshawar school attack was sentenced to life imprisonment, the statement added.
It was not made clear when and where the trials were held but the convicts have the right to challenge the judgment in an appeals court and subsequently the Supreme Court, which last week upheld an order for military courts to try "hardcore terrorists".
"The convicts were given a fair trial by following all the legal formalities and offering/providing them legal aid and defense counsels," A military statement said.
The government reacted to the Peshawar attack with a number of security and legal measures, including approving military courts for terror cases.
Pakistani activists and rights groups criticized the government's decision, with Human Rights Watch arguing Pakistan would pay an "unacceptable price" if it allowed the courts to operate without public scrutiny.
