US ‘outraged’ after Pak court orders Sheikh’s release
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: The White House said on Thursday it was “outraged” after Pakistan’s Supreme Court upheld the acquittal and ordered the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, the al Qaeda terrorist convicted of masterminding the 2002 beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
Sheikh is one of three terrorists freed by India in 1999 in exchange for a hijacked airliner. He was later convicted of beheading Pearl. The dismissal of the appeal against overturning his conviction was described by India as “a travesty of justice”.
Joe Biden’s administration is “outraged by the Pakistani Supreme Court’s decision,” chief spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters, underscoring the uneasy alliance between Washington and Islamabad.
She called the ruling “an affront to terrorism victims everywhere” and demanded the Pakistani government “review its legal options”.
Hours after US expressed concern, the Pakistan government on Friday appealed the top court to review its decision to uphold the acquittal of Sheikh and three others, previously convicted in 2002 on charges of kidnapping and murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
“We have filed three review petitions,” Sindh government’s prosecutor Faiz Shah said, explaining that the petitions would seek a reversal of the acquittal and the reinstatement of Sheikh’s death penalty.
“Being aggrieved of and dissatisfied with the judgement, the petitioner files an instant criminal review petition for leave to appeal on matters of law, facts and grounds,” the petition said.
The SC order on Thursday
said that Sheikh along with three accomplices connected to the case should “be released forthwith,” though it was not clear when that would happen.
Pearl was researching a story about terrorists when he was abducted in Karachi in Sindh province in January 2002. Nearly a month later, after a string of ransom demands, a graphic video showing his decapitation was given to officials.
The US embassy in Pakistan on Friday shared secretary of state Antony Blinken’s statement that his country seeks justice for Pearl.
“The United States is deeply concerned by the Pakistani Supreme Court’s decision to acquit those involved in Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder and any proposed action to release them,” according to the statement.
“The court’s decision is an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan,” it read.
The US top official also offered to prosecute Sheikh in the country. “We are also prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the United States for his horrific crimes against an American citizen. We are committed to securing justice for Daniel Pearl’s family and holding terrorists accountable,” the statement added.