SC orders to release accused in Daniel Pearl murder case

Dunya News

Supreme Court dismissed petition of the Sindh government against SHC verdict

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Thursday ordered to release accused in case of murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

Supreme Court bench head by Justice Mushir Alam dismissed the petition of the Sindh government against Sindh High Court (SHC) decision to overturn the conviction of accused.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh High Court commuted the death sentence of prime suspect Ahmed Omer Sheikh to seven years in prison in abduction and murder case of Daniel Pearl – an American journalist.

Justice KK Agha and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi issued verdict on appeals, lodged by the suspects against their sentences, after 18 years and acquitted the other three accused in the case who had been handed over life terms earlier.

Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil were the co-accused. Ahmed Omer Sheikh, the main accused, is a British national.

The SHC remarked that the kidnapping case is proven against Ahmed Omer Sheikh while the murder accusations have not been proven against any of the suspects.

Let it be known that an anti-terrorism had handed over death sentence to Ahmed Omer Sheikh and life terms to Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil on July 15, 2002 for abducting Daniel Pearl for ransom and killing him afterwards.

Daniel Pearl was working as the South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal.