Daniel Pearl case: Pakistan lets dreaded terrorist walk; US fumes, India calls it travesty
The outraged United States has termed Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to acquit those involved in the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, as deeply concerning.
FollowThe outraged United States has termed Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to acquit those involved in the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, as deeply concerning.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh was indicted in the United States in 2002 for hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, resulting in the murder of Pearl, the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, as well as the 1994 kidnapping of another US citizen in India. The court's decision is an affront to terror victims across the world."Â
Blinken made the American intent clear with regard to Omar Sheikh.
He said, "We are prepared to prosecute Omar Sheikh in the United States for his horrific crimes against an American citizen. We are committed to securing justice for the Pearl family and holding terrorists accountable."
India too had expressed outrage at the Omar Sheikh's acquittal, stating that it demonstrated 'lack of any seriousness in Pakistan to act against terror cases'.
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Pakistan’s Supreme Court had on January 28 dismissed the Sindh provincial government's appeal against the High Court's decision to overturn Omar Sheikh's conviction.
Omar Sheikh was one of the three terrorists that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had freed in exchange for the hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999.Â
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