Pakistan's Supreme Court has acquitted militant Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main accused in the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl. The court ruled in his favor with a 2-1 majority in the three-judge panel. As a result, all the accused in the Daniel Pearl murder case were released. This was reported by Al-Jazeera.
Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal journalist, was abducted in Pakistan in 2002 and later killed, the report said. The main accused in his murder is Omar Saeed. In 1999, militants hijacked an Indian airliner in Kandahar. At that time, a list of militants was sent in exchange for the lives of the passengers. Omar Saeed was one of the militants released at that time.
Daniel Pearl came to Pakistan in 2002 to work on militant activities. He was abducted and beheaded by militants. A Pakistani court has acquitted Omar Saeed of murder after he was convicted of kidnapping. Pearl's family has issued a statement acquitting him. It said the verdict in the case was nothing but a farce. The release of the killers put the lives of Pakistani journalists and ordinary people at risk.
At that time last year, there was a storm of condemnation from Pakistan and outside Pakistan over his release on murder charges. Siraj Paracha, a political analyst, described the case as a "big challenge" for Pakistan. He said a new administration had come to the United States and Pakistan had already done so. The United States has been very sensitive to the issue of Daniel Pearl. They want justice for the Pearl killers.