Sindh extends Daniel Pearl murder accused detention for three months

KARACHI: The government of Sindh on Wednesday extended detention of four accused of American journalist Daniel Pearl’s murder case, for three months, ARY News reported.

Provincial authorities have extended detention of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil for three months under the maintenance of public order (MPO).

Detained accused are expected to be kept at Karachi Central Jail or Sukkur Jail, sources said.

The terrorism accused could regroup and organize a terrorist network after their release from jail, the authorities apprehend.

The Supreme Court on June 29 rejected a request by the Sindh government to grant a stay order against the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) April 02 decision of overturning the conviction of four convicts in Daniel Pearl murder case.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, took up appeals by the provincial government and two independent appeals by the parents of Daniel Pearl against the acquittal of the convicts.

Farooq H Naek, who represented Sindh government, stated before the judges that the accused being global terrorists have been detained under maintenance of public order (MPO) after their acquittal.

“How can you call the accused terrorists after acquittal,” questioned Justice Yahya Khan Afridi, a member of the bench, to which, the lawyer replied that one of them worked with a terrorist outfit in India while another with a banned organisation in Afghanistan.

Their release could have serious consequences, he cautioned.

Justice Mushir Alam asked how can the apex court suspend the SHC verdict without a solid reason. The verdict can be suspended in case there are any loopholes in the ruling, he observed.

The government can extend the detention of accused under the MPO, if it wants, the SC judge suggested.