Amid mounting stress from the US and the UN, the Pakistan authorities has stated it will formally be part of the evaluation proceedings initiated by the Sindh administration towards the Supreme Court’s acquittal of British-born al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and his three aides within the brutal homicide of US journalist Daniel Pearl.
Pearl, the 38-year-old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and beheaded whereas he was in Pakistan investigating a narrative in 2002 on the hyperlinks between the nation’s highly effective spy company ISI and al-Qaeda.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the discharge of major accused Sheikh and his aides – Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib – by dismissing appeals towards their acquittal by the Sindh High Court.
The judgement was denounced by Pearl’s household as “a complete travesty of justice”.
The Sindh authorities on Friday filed a evaluation petition within the apex court docket towards the acquittal of Sheikh and his three accomplices.
A spokesman of the Attorney General of Pakistan on Saturday introduced that the federal authorities will file an acceptable utility earlier than the apex court docket to be allowed to affix as a celebration within the proceedings and additional search evaluation and recall of the court docket’s January 28 judgement.
The federal authorities will file an utility for the structure of a bigger bench to listen to the evaluation petitions.
In cooperation with the provincial authorities, the federal authorities will proceed to take all authorized steps to carry the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice in accordance with the legislation, the spokesman stated.
The announcement got here after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi over telephone and mentioned the accountability of convicted terrorists liable for the brutal homicide of Pearl.
Blinken additionally expressed “deep concern” over the apex court docket’s judgement.
The Pakistan Foreign Office in a press release stated Qureshi underscored that it was essential and within the mutual curiosity that justice is served by authorized means.
According to some media experiences, the Supreme Court would hear the evaluation petition on February 1.
However, no formal announcement has been made as but.
Expressing concern over the acquittal of these concerned within the brutal homicide of Pearl, a senior UN official representing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that it will be significant that there’s accountability for such crimes.
“What is important that there be accountability for those crimes committed,” stated Stephane Dujarric stated on Friday.
The US additionally has been mounting stress on Pakistan, demanding justice for Pearl.
Last month, the US stated it is able to take custody of Sheikh, asserting that Washington is not going to enable him to evade justice.
Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson stated the US was deeply involved by the ruling affirming the acquittal of people convicted by a Pakistani trial court docket.
“The release of those involved would be an affront to Daniel Pearl’s family, to other terrorism victims around the world, and to the cause of justice,” Wilkinson stated.
In a tweet, Congressman Brad Sherman stated: “The killers of Daniel Pearl go free. And Dr. Afridi, who helped the US get Osama Bin Laden, rots in jail.”
“We are deeply disappointed that Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted and ordered the release of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, despite overwhelming evidence of Sheikh’s involvement in the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, which led directly to his murder,” stated Steven Butler, Committee to Protect Journalist’s Asia programme coordinator.
In April 2020, a two-judge Sindh High Court bench commuted the demise sentence of 46-year-old Sheikh to seven years imprisonment.
The court docket additionally acquitted his three aides who have been serving life phrases within the case — virtually 20 years after they have been discovered responsible and jailed.
The Sindh authorities and the household of Pearl filed petitions within the apex court docket, difficult the excessive court docket verdict.
The Sindh authorities invoked the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960 to maintain the 4 males below detention.
Their steady detention was challenged within the Sindh High Court (SHC), which on December 24 directed safety businesses to not maintain Sheikh and different accused below “any sort of detention” and declared all notifications of the Sindh authorities associated to their detention “null and void”.
The order elicited a direct response from the US, which on December 25 expressed its “deep concerns” over the SHC order.
The US State Department stated it would proceed to watch any developments within the case and can proceed to help the Pearl household “through this extremely difficult process” whereas honouring the legacy of the “courageous journalist”.
Sheikh in a handwritten letter to the SHC in 2019 admitted his restricted involvement within the killing of Pearl.
The letter was introduced to the Supreme Court practically two weeks in the past and Sheikh’s lawyer on Wednesday confirmed the letter.
The accused, nevertheless, didn’t clarify the character of his position which he stated was “just minor”.
Pearl’s homicide happened three years after Sheikh, together with Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, was launched by India in 1999 and given protected passage to Afghanistan in alternate for the practically 150 passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814.
He was serving a jail time period in India for kidnappings of Western vacationers within the nation.
