ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Sindh Government has decided to challenge Sindh High Court’s verdict in Daniel Pearl murder case and detaining the accused for ninety days under Public Safety Act.
In a statement, he said it is now up to the appellate forum either to uphold SHC’s decision or declare it null and void.
The Minister said US reservations over Daniel Pearl case seem natural. He said Daniel Pearl was a leading journalist, who was first kidnapped for ransom and subsequently killed. He said fingers were raised against Pakistan and hurled immense criticism from across the globe as soon news regarding murder of Daniel Pearl came out.
The Foreign Minister said accused in Daniel Pearl were arrested and faced trial as a result of which three people had to face imprisonment, while central figure Sheikh Umar was handed down death penalty. He said the accused had a right to appeal and SHC, while acknowledging this right, suspended their sentence pronounced by the anti-terrorism court Hyderabad, setting all the three accused free, and converting Sheikh Omar’s capital punishment into seven year imprisonment.
Recalling Pakistan’s sacrifices in war against terrorism, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said we rendered unmatched sacrifices and the entire nation fought a long war against terrorism and defeated this menace with collective efforts.
