The SHC had on Thursday acquitted the four, including prime suspect Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for masterminding Pearl’s murder. The verdict however did not sit well with the United States, with the State Department condemning the overturning of the convictions and terming the decision “an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere”. Wall Street Journal reporter Pearl, 38, was investigating militants in Karachi after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States when he was kidnapped in January 2002. Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated on Friday that the Sindh government would appeal the decision. “The forum of appeal exists, we are going to use it and then see if higher courts decide to keep the SHC’s decision intact or set it aside,” Qureshi said.

Source: Pakistan Today April 04, 2020 08:02 UTC