SC halts release of accused in Daniel Pearl murder case

According to details, a three-member bench of apex court headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial and comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar conducted the hearing.

The top court instructed Sindh government to suspend release orders of Omar Sheikh and other accused. The court has further restricted Sindh from issuing an extension in his detention orders.

The SC's verdict has come after Sindh government through its prosecutor general moved a petition in apex court against acquittal of the accused on January 29.

On January 28, Supreme Court had dismissed the appeal of the Sindh government and acquitted prime accused of the 2002 murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.

A three member bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi announced the verdict over the appeal of Sindh government against the Sindh High Court (SHC) April 2020 decision and ordered release of British national Ahmad Omar Sheikh.

On December 24, 2020 the Sindh High Court had declared the notification of detention of four accused as null and void in Daniel Pearl murder case.

Court while ordering immediate release of Ahmed Omer Saeed Shaikh, co-accused Salman Saqib, Fahad Naseem and Sheikh Adil, directed relevant authorities to put their names on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Sindh Home Department had kept the accused under detention even after SHC had ordered to release them.

The Hyderabad’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in 2002 had handed death sentence to main accused Ahmed Omer Saeed Shaikh and life sentence to other three accused after finding them guilty of abducting and killing Daniel Pearl.

On April 02, 2020, the decision of ATC was overturned by SHC commuted the death sentence of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to seven years and acquitted three others who were serving life terms.

Daniel Pearl was on an assignment in Karachi in January 2002, when he was abducted and slain.