Acquittal upheld in Pakistan case
Four men accused in death of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl are set to be released.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of a Pakistani man convicted and later acquitted in the beheading of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
The court Thursday also dismissed an appeal of Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh’s acquittal by Pearl’s family.
Sheikh has been on death row since his conviction in 2002. Sheikh “should not have spent one day in jail,” his attorney said.
Attorney Mehmood A. Sheikh, no relation, said the court also ordered three other Pakistanis, who had been sentenced to life in prison in Pearl’s kidnapping and death, freed.
“The Pearl family is in complete shock [over] the majority decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to acquit and release … Sheikh and the other accused persons who kidnapped and killed Daniel Pearl,” according to a statement released by the family’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi.
Washington previously said it would demand Sheikh’s extradition to the U.S. to face trial. It’s not clear whether Pakistan would support his extradition or even under what grounds it could go ahead.
In a statement Thursday, acting Atty. Gen. Monty Wilkinson said that the Justice Department was “deeply concerned” by the Pakistani court ruling and that Sheikh must be held accountable.
“While we remain grateful for the Pakistani government’s opposition to these acquittals on appeal, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Department of Justice reiterates that the United States stands ready to take custody of Sheikh to stand trial here on the pending charges against him,” Wilkinson said.
The case seems certain to test the Biden administration’s skill in dealing with Pakistan, which is considered a key ally in establishing peace in Afghanistan.
Pearl disappeared Jan. 23, 2002, while investigating militant links to the socalled shoe bomber, Richard Reid. His body was found in a shallow grave soon after a graphic video of his beheading was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi.
Sheikh long denied any involvement in Pearl’s death, but the Supreme Court heard that he acknowledged writing a letter in 2019 admitting a minor role — raising hopes for some that he might remain behind bars.
The court ruled 2 to 1 to uphold Sheikh’s acquittal and ordered him released, Siddiqi said.
The Pearl family urged both the U.S. and Pakistani governments to take action to “correct this injustice.”
“The release of these killers puts in danger journalists everywhere and the people of Pakistan,” the family’s statement said.
Siddiqi said the only legal avenue available now was to ask for a review of the court’s decision to uphold Sheikh’s acquittal. However, he said the review would be conducted by the same court that made that decision. “In practical terms,” that means the case is closed in Pakistan, he said.