Top court to hold urgent hearing of Daniel Pearl murder case tomorrow

The provincial govt had challenged Sindh High Court verdict of exonerating accused in American journalist murder case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has admitted the Sindh government 's plea and fixed the urgent hearing of American journalist Daniel Pearl murder case on Monday.

The provincial government had challenged the Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict wherein it had commuted the death sentence of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh – the man convicted of kidnapping and murdering Wall Street Journal journalist in 2002 – to a seven-year sentence.

The SHC had also acquitted three other accused namely Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib, who had been awarded life imprisonment in the case by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi.

Hours after their acquittal, the provincial government ordered three months detention of four accused, which is due to expire on July 2.

Later, the Sindh government and slain journalist's parents approached the apex court against the SHC verdict.

However, three judge special bench of the top court led by Justice Mushir Alam on June 1 refused to suspend SHC judgement and adjourned the hearing until summer vacations.



Now, the Sindh prosecutor general has moved an application for early hearing of the case given the sensitivity of the matter.

"The respondent and co-respondents have terrorised people in a horrific way with deprived indifference to human suffering, slaughtering brutally a US citizen on one hand and have also degraded and defamed stated of Pakistan globally," the plea read.

It is also stated that the accused in the case did not deserve any mercy and should be dealt in accordance with law.

The advocate general also cautioned in the application that "there is serious apprehension of act of terrorism" if the accused are released from the custody after the expiry of detention period.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam will take up the provincial government's petition for early hearing tomorrow (Monday).

The Sindh prosecutor general and senior lawyer Farooq H Naek are expected to appear before the bench to represent the Sindh government.

Daniel Pearl, 38, was doing research on religious extremism in Karachi when he was abducted in January 2002. A graphic video showing his decapitation was delivered to the US consulate a month later. Subsequently, Omar Sheikh was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by the trial court.