Pak SC orders security to rest house where Omar Sheikh will stay; permits family access

Despite growing outrage over Pakistan Supreme Court's order to release terrorist Omar Sheikh, it directed that he should be shifted from jail to a rest house within next 2-3 days. This comes even as US Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi about ensuring accountability for Sheikh, main accused in Daniel Pearl case. In 2002, Pearl, 38-year-old South Asia Bureau of  Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Karachi and beheed while he was pursuing a story on links between ISI and Al-Qaeda.

In custody since February 2002, Sheikh's death sentence was commuted to 7 years by Sindh High Court on April 2, 2020, while three or accused serving life terms were acquitted. PPP-led Sindh government h challenged this verdict in Pakistan's apex court and immediately detained 4 men under Section 3(1) of West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. However, same Sindh HC bench struck down provincial government's decision on December 24, 2020. In a 2:1 verdict, a three-judge bench of Pakistan's SC dismissed Sindh government' challenge against HC order on January 28.

A day later, Sindh government h filed a review petition and Imran Khan-led government too moved an application seeking to be me a party to this plea. On Tuesday, Pakistan's top court ordered authorities to ensure complete security to rest house and allow Sheikh's family access to him from 8 am to 5 pm. It was hearing a petition filed by terrorist against his detention. While Sheikh will not be given access to mobile and internet services, his family shall be provided accommodation and transport on government's expense. 

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MEA condemns Pakistan SC order

British-born-terrorist Omar Sheikh dropped out of London School of Economics and inste, underwent training at terror camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 1994, he was arrested in India for kidnapping foreign tourists and remained incarcerated till he was freed by NDA government in exchange for hostages of hijacked Indian Airlines flight which was diverted to Kandahar in Afghanistan in December 1999. Sheikh returned to Pakistan after his release. 

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Ministry of External Affairs too condemned Pakistan SC's order to release him. Briefing media, MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "I have mentioned earlier about low conviction rate of Pakistan in sentencing terror accused. And this case demonstrates lack of any seriousness on part of Pakistan for taking action on terror-related issues. It is also a travesty of justice not to find Omar Saeed guilty of any charges in this heinous charge of terror. Our position on Pakistan taking verifiable, credible and irreversible action against terrorism and terrorist funding emanating from all territories under its control remains unchanged."

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