*Pakistani government shakes away its cobwebs
By NP newsroom
WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of State of the United States of America Antony J. Blinken said in a statement the other day that the United States “is deeply concerned by the Pakistani Supreme Court’s decision to acquit those involved in Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder and any proposed action to release them.”
Following close behind, with the US calling for justice, the Pakistani government has decided to appeal Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh’s acquittal “for lack of evidence”. Omar Sheikh was indicted in the United States in 2002 for hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, resulting in the murder of Daniel Pearl, the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, as well as the 1994 kidnapping of another United States citizen in India.
The secretary’s statement called the court’s decision “ an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan. The United States recognizes past Pakistani actions to hold Omar Sheikh accountable and notes that Sheikh currently remains detained under Pakistani law. We expect the Pakistani government to expeditiously review its legal options to ensure justice is served. We take note of the attorney general’s statement that he intends to seek review and recall of the decision. We are also prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the United States for his horrific crimes against an American citizen.
“We are committed to securing justice for Daniel Pearl’s family and holding terrorists accountable,” the secretary of state’s statement emphasized.
