SC Adjourns Daniel Pearl Murder Case Till Thursday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Dec, 2020 ) :The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday adjourned hearing of a case against acquittal of accused by the Sindh High Court (SHC) in American journalist Daniel Pearl murder case till Thursday.

A three-member special bench of the court headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi heard the appeals filed by the Sindh government and Pearl's parents challenging the acquittal of the previously convicted men by the Sindh High Court (SHC). The petitioners challenged the April 2 high court verdict that overturned the sentences of four convicts in the case.

During the course of proceedings, Justice Tariq Masood said that a prosecution witness did not admit to plotting to assassinate Daniel Pearl.

Advocate Farooq H Naek counsel for the Sindh government said that it was an accepted fact that conspiracy was not hatched in front of the witness.

Justice Tariq Masood said that it was stated in the charge sheet against the accused that murder was planned.

Justice Mushir Alam said that the witness did not mention any plot against main accused Omar Sheikh.

Farooq Naek said that Omar Sheikh's hiding his identity was evidence of conspiracy.

Justice Tariq Masood asked where did this identification parade take place? The counsel responded that the identification parade took place in the court in presence of the magistrate.

Justice Tariq Masood said that the accused had been presented many times before the court. Many people might had seen the accused in court before, he added.

The counsel said that the identity parade process was not questioned.

If the question was not raised, it was admissible evidence, he added.

Farooq H Naek said that a man met Daniel Pearl at a hotel in Rawalpindi. The man had booked the hotel room with the name of Muzaffar Farooqi but he met with Pearl introducing himself as Bashir, he added.

He said that another man, Arif, who was absconding, had led the US reporter for meeting with Muzaffar Farooqi. Arif asked at hotel reception for meeting with Muzaffar Farooqi, which proved that Arif knew that Omar Shaikh was staying in the hotel with the name of Muzaffar Farooqi, he added.

Naek said that Omer Shaikh's hiding his identity, was a proof of the conspiracy.

Justice Tariq Masood asked when the identification parade was held.

Farooq Naek responded that the identification parade was held in the presence of a magistrate in the court.

Farooq Naek said that Daniel Pearl's murder was a part of the international terrorism as Omar Shaikh himself had stated, he would be handed over to the United States.

The Sindh government's lawyer read the statement of Asif Mahmood Farooqi, a journalist affiliated with the then Japanese news Agency. Prosecution witness journalist Asif Mahmood Farooqi was cross-examined, he added.

He said that the witness in cross-examination had stated that he did not knew if Daniel Pearl worked for the CIA or Mossad.

The counsel said that the prosecution witness had stated that he did not know Daniel Pearl came to Pakistan to get information about Dawood Ibrahim. The prosecutor had also stated that it was not true that the United States wanted to harm Islamists in Pakistan, he added.