International
Quereshi claims progress in Pearl case
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, FEB. 7. Pakistan today claimed progress in the case related to the kidnapped American journalist, Daniel Pearl, but declined to give any time-frame for apprehension of the culprits behind the abduction.
The Press Secretary to the Pakistan President, Rashid Quereshi, at a news conference here sounded very cautious when he was asked about the latest developments in the investigation. He declined even to confirm whether Jaish-e-Mohammad was behind the kidnap. ``For reasons of investigations and security of Daniel Pearl, I would not like to go into any details,'' he said.
Maj. Gen. Quereshi maintained that no effort was being spared to trace Mr. Pearl and those responsible for his kidnap. ``There is progress and we are hopeful. Beyond that I would not like to say anything.''
Police have been quoted as saying that they were confident of apprehending the kidnappers. The British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, better known as Sheikh Omar, is suspected to be one of the main culprits behind the kidnap.
It is believed that police have launched a manhunt for Omar. He is associated with the Jaish and was one of the three militants released by India in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in December 1999.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
International
|
