Dr. Judea Pearl, father of American journalist Daniel Pearl, who was killed by terrorists in 2002, speaks in Miami Beach, Fla., in 2007. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the release Thursday of a Pakistani-British man convicted and later acquitted in the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
The court also dismissed an appeal of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh’s acquittal filed by Pearl’s family and the Pakistani government.
A minister in the Sindh province where Sheikh is being held said the government had exhausted all options to keep him locked up an indication that Sheikh could be free within days. The “Supreme Court is the court of last resort,” Murtaza Wahab, Sindh’s law minister, told The Associated Press.
Zia Mazhar/AP
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a man convicted and later acquitted in the 2002 murder of Pearl admitted a minor role in his death, upending 18 years of denials, the Pearl family lawyer said.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of a Pakistani man convicted and later acquitted in the gruesome beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. The court also dismissed an appeal of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh s acquittal by Pearl’s family. Sheikh has been on death row since his conviction over the death of Pearl in 2002. His attorney said Sheikh “should not have spent one day in jail”.
Pakistan court orders man accused in American s death freed - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pakistan’s top court orders release of man convicted in US journalist Pearl murder
28 Jan 2021
Tariq Butt, Correspondent
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered release of Omar Saeed Sheikh who had been acquitted by the Sindh High Court (SHC) from the charge of murdering American journalist Daniel Pearl.
The apex court thus rejected the Sindh government s appeal against the SHC judgment in a 2-1 split verdict.
A three-judge bench of the apex court led by Justice Mushir Alam announced the short order. Sheikh has been on death row since his conviction in the death of Pearl in 2002.
People exit the main entrance of the Karachi Central Prison where Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is detained. AP
ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the release Thursday of a Pakistani-British man convicted and later acquitted in the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
The court also dismissed an appeal of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh s acquittal filed by Pearl’s family and the Pakistani government.
A minister in the Sindh province where Sheikh is being held said the government had exhausted all options to keep him locked up an indication that Sheikh could be free within days. The “Supreme Court is the court of last resort,” Murtaza Wahab, Sindh s law minister, told The Associated Press.
“The Pearl family is in complete shock by the majority decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to acquit and release Ahmed Omer Sheikh and the other accused persons who kidnapped and killed Daniel Pearl,” the Pearl family said in a statement released by their lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi.