ISLAMABAD - The Sindh prosecutor yesterday stated before the Supreme Court of Pakistan that a conspiracy was hatched by the accused Umer Sheikh to kidnap and kill Daniel Pearl, Bureau Chief of Wall Street Journal in Pakistan.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam conducted hearing of the appeals of Sindh government and the parents of Daniel Pearl against the judgment of SHC to acquit the alleged murderers of Daniel Pearl.

During the hearing, Justice Yahya Afridi, a member of the bench, questioned from Farooq H Naek who appeared on behalf of the Sindh government that what do you want to convey? How do you bring in conspiracy? He further asked that what kind of evidence that proves the conspiracy.

Naek said that the conspiracy was hatched gradually and not in one go. The conspiracy took place behind the scene and it started with the abduction of Daniel Pearl and with the absconding of the co-accused (Arif).

He further said that Daniel was lured to arrange his meeting with Syed Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani, founder of The Muslims of America. He told that many believe that Richard Reid, British Islamist militant, who gained notoriety as the so-called Shoe Bomber in 2001, tried to blow the US passenger plane after hearing the sermons of Ali Gilani.

The counsel stated that according to defence witnesses (DW), the accused (Umer) had strong apprehension before his arrest that he would be extradited to USA. He mentioned the statement of Ahmed Rauf Sheikh (DW), a relative of Umer Sheikh saying, “I know that Umer Sheikh was arrested by Indian authorities, he was tried in India, and thereafter he was released/acquitted in some case and got released on account of hijacking of Indian plane, by some persons. The airline was hijacked from Khadmando to Kabul.”

Earlier, Farooq H Naek, read the statements of prosecution witnesses – Asif Mehfooz Farooqui (PW-6), a journalist who worked with Japanese media, Amir Afzal Qureshi (PW-7), a reception in a local hotel in Rawalpind, and Javed Abbas (PW-3), Karachi police inspector, who investigated the case. Naek told that according to the statement of Asif, he arranged Daniel Pearl’s meeting with Umer Sheikh with the help of a man named Arif (co-accused) in Room No. 411 of Akbar Hotel, a local hotel in Rawalpindi.

The Sindh prosecutor contended that Umer Sheikh used fake names to hide his identity and this shows criminal intent. In a meeting with Asif and Pearl the accused Umer Sheikh used the name of Bashir, while to the hotel management in Rawalpindi he gave his name as Muzaffar Farooqui. He alleged that the conspiracy was hatched in the hotel room.

Later, the apex court adjourned the hearing in this matter till today for further proceedings.