Daniel Pearl was a journalist for The Wall Street Journal. (The Daniel Pearl Foundation)
ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Pakistani-British man acquitted of the 2002 gruesome beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl off death row and moved to a so-called government “safe house.”
Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, who has been on death row for 18 years, will be under guard and will not be allowed to leave the safe house, but he will be able to have his wife and children visit him.
“It is not complete freedom. It is a step toward freedom,” said Sheikh’s father, Ahmad Saeed Sheikh, who attended the hearing.
Blinken calls Pakistan FM Qureshi, seeks accountability in Daniel Pearl murder case
Blinken calls Pakistan FM Qureshi, seeks accountability in Daniel Pearl murder case
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Pakistan to explore all legal options to ensure that the killers of Pearl are brought to justice.
PTI 30 January, 2021 10:20 am IST Text Size:
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Washington: US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has spoken over phone with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed the accountability of convicted terrorists responsible for the murder of Daniel Pearl, according to the State Department.
Pearl, the 38-year-old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story in 2002 on the links between the country’s powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.
Updated Feb 01, 2021 | 15:53 IST
During the hearing on Monday, the Attorney General of Pakistan requested the Supreme Court to suspend the decision to release the accused so that he could argue the case in detail. Pearl case: Pak SC junks govt plea to suspend Omer s release | Photo Credit: ANI
Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday rejected the government s request to suspend the order to release British-born al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and his three aides in the brutal murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, days after it announced to formally join the review proceedings against the acquittal of the accused amid mounting international pressure.
The decision by Pakistanâs Supreme Court on Thursday to acquit four men involved in the kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 comes at a bad time for Pakistan.
Hoping to overcome longstanding allegations of supporting terrorism, Pakistanâs leaders helped U.S. negotiators in their talks with Afghanistanâs Taliban. The acquittal of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikhâmastermind of the Pearl kidnappingâagainst U.S. advice is likely to attract renewed scrutiny of Pakistanâs terrorist links.
It could also jeopardize Pakistanâs efforts to get off the United Nations âgray listâ of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.