The Sindh High Court in Pakistan has ordered the immediate release of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh involved in the gruesome beheading of the South Asia Chief of the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Pearl in 2002. Pearl was researching about Islamic extremism when he was abducted from Karachi and killed.
The Sindh HC has declared the detention of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib as “null and void”.
While delivering the order, a judge observed: “These men have been in rotting in jail for the 18 years without committing any crime”. The HC added that their names be put on the no-fly list.
Supreme Court of Pakistan had stayed the release of terrorist Ahmed Sheikh earlier
In the month of September, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had stayed the release of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who is the prime accused in the gruesome murder of Daniel Pearl.
The apex court of Pakistan had barred the release of Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh, in its order to the Sindh government. The Supreme Court was hearing appeals, challenging the Singh High Court’s decision to acquit the dreaded international terrorist.
During the hearing, Sindh government advocate Farooq Naek had informed the Supreme Court that the accused was identified by taxi driver Nasir Abbas, receptionist Amir Afzal, besides 21 other witnesses during an identity parade in front of the Magistrate. Reportedly, the terrorist had met journalist Daniel Pearl at the Akbar International Hotel under the pseudonym of Bashir.
Sindh HC overturns death sentence and conviction of the murderer of WSJ journo Daniel Pearl
Earlier in April this year, the Sindh High Court had overturned the death sentence and murder conviction of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. The lawyer for the terrorist had said that his sentence was reduced to seven years on the charge of kidnapping. Three other men who were given life sentences in the case have been acquitted by the Sindh High Court and released. The High Court overturned the verdict of an anti-terrorism court.
Sheikh was one of the terrorists freed by India along with Masood Azhar in 1999 to secure the release of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814.
Later in May, the parents of deceased Daniel Pearl had moved the Supreme Court against the overturning of death penalty for Sheikh.
