National
February 10, 2021
ISLAMABAD: On 5 February 2002, around midday, Deputy Inspector General (Police) Javed Noor was at his official residence in Lahore when he received a call from the then provincial Home Secretary Brigadier (r) Ejaz Shah. He informed Noor about some ‘significant progress’ made regarding the Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping case.
Brigadier Shah said Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main suspect in the case at that time, had surrendered. Until then no one was aware that Pearl had, in fact, been killed. Shah wanted the accused handed over to the police through due legal process. Police, on the contrary, had already rounded up his elderly grandfather Sheikh Muhammad Ismail and paternal uncle Tariq Ismail along with a few women of the family from Mohni Road and Johar Town areas in Lahore – ostensibly as part of practice to help investigation process.