SHC exempts Sindh home secretary in Pearl case contempt hearing

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted exemption to Sindh Home Secretary from appearing in a contempt petition hearing over detention of Daniel Pearl murder case accused, ARY News reported.

The home secretary and other concerned officials were present in the courtroom.

Ahmed Omer Saeed and others had moved a contempt petition in the high court against their detention.

Assistant Advocate General informed the bench that the government making arrangements for shifting the accused to a rest house in a day or two.

The AAG also submitted the Supreme Court order in the case in the high court adding that the apex court decision will be followed in letter and spirit.

The court had issued notices to the Chief Secretary Sindh and others and sought the government reply over the issue.

The court today granted a plea from the provincial home secretary for exemption from the court hearing.

The court ruled that other officials would have to appear in the court proceedings.

The bench in the previous hearing had granted exemption to the chief secretary.

The court adjourned further hearing of the contempt petition until Feb 16.

A bench of the high court had declared a notification with regard to detention of four accused Ahmed Omer Saeed Shaikh, Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil, as null and void and ordered their immediate release from jail.

A contempt of court petition was filed against the provincial chief secretary, jail officials and others over the government’s failure in compliance of the court orders.

Provincial home department had detained the accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on September 28.

Four convicts of the murder case, Ahmed Omer Saeed and others had moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) challenging their convictions handed down by the Hyderabad Anti-Terrorism Court in 2002, after finding them guilty of abducting and killing American Journalist Daniel Pearl.

The ATC had handed death sentence to main accused Ahmed Omer Saeed Shaikh and life sentences to other three accused.

The high court overturned the verdict of the ATC and acquitted convicts on April 02 last year.

38-year-old South Asia bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Pearl, was working on a story on religious extremists in January 2002 in Karachi, when he was abducted and slain.