The Hindu : Co-accused in Pearl case appeal against verdict

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 18, 2002

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International

Co-accused in Pearl case appeal against verdict

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD July 17. The three co-accused in the Daniel Pearl abduction-cum-murder case, who have been sentenced to life imprisonment, have filed an appeal in the Sindh High Court challenging their conviction.

An anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad had awarded death sentence to the principle accused in the case, Omar Saeed Sheikh, and sentenced three other co-accused to life imprisonment. The Pakistani Government in an appeal before the Sindh High Court on Tuesday had wanted the punishment to be raised. The lawyer of Omar Sheikh is expected to file a separate appeal challenging the death sentence.

The co-accused in the case have argued in their appeal that there was no evidence against them in the case involving the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter. In a related development, prison authorities in Hyderabad have reportedly received a letter threatening the entire staff of dire consequences if any "harm" came to any of the four convicts in the Daniel Pearl case.

Local media reports said the author of the letter, drafted in Urdu, had identified himself as "Changez Khan — the commander". "If any harm came to the commander Omar Sheikh or other Mujahideen (holy warriors), the entire jail staff, particularly the superintendent will face the consequences," it said.

The letter warned the jail officials that they would be hanged at the same gallows and at the same ward if Omar Sheikh was hanged. An unidentified jail official has been quoted as saying that the letter was received with the usual mail and posted from the GPO, Hyderabad. It has been sent to the DPO, Hyderabad, for necessary action, the official said. Similar threats, reportedly addressed to the prosecution in the case, had prompted the Sindh High Court to move the original venue (Central Prison Karachi) of the trial to Hyderabad on April 30.

Pakistani newspapers have also reported that prison authorities in Hyderabad were trying to convince the Home Department to declare the B-class cell, where Omar Sheikh had been kept before being handed down capital punishment, a condemned ward. Sheikh has already been transferred to the B-class cell for security reasons one day after being moved to the condemned ward known as "Mansoor Ward". According to a jail official, the prison authorities have decided to keep all the four convicts in B-class cells.

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