Pakistan: Four acquitted in Daniel Pearl murder case rearrested, US welcomes move

The four individuals who were recently acquitted by the Pakistan court over the kidnapping and killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl have been rearrested and will remain in prison while the prosecutors appeal the ruling.

The court had overturned the conviction of these individuals including British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh for murdering Pearl in 2002 in Karachi while the journalist was looking for links between Pakistani militants and the “shoe-bomber”, Richard C. Reid. 

However, the Pakistani Interior Ministry on April 3 said that all four accomplices would remain in jail while the prosecutors appeal their acquittals in country’s apex court. According to reports, the men have been rearrested and detained for at least three months.

Earlier, the court had not only acquitted the British-born militant but found him guilty of the lesser charge of kidnapping and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

The Wall Street Journal journalist had disappeared on January 23, 2002, in Karachi while researching links of Pakistani militants with Reid who was called “shoe-bomber” after being detained with explosives on a flight from Paris to Miami. According to international media reports, the prosecutors have said that Saeed enticed Pearl into a bluff by assuring to arrange an interview with an Islamic cleric, who police officials think was not involved in the crime. 

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US welcomes Pakistan ministry’s decision

After lashing out on Pakistan government and terming the verdict of the court as an “affront to victims of terrorism”, Alice Wells, the top American official in South Asia, welcomed the move by Interior Ministry and has claimed that the individuals responsible for the death of Pearl must face “full measure of justice”. 

Moreover, even United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo had said on April 3 that the US would always remember the American journalist and “demand justice”. At the time, the 2002 killing of Pearl had not only mounted pressure on the Pakistani government but also fueled an international revulsion. 

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(With agency inputs)

Image Source: AP