Lahore | Friday
THE trial of 11 people accused of kidnapping and murdering US reporter Daniel Pearl began behind closed doors on Friday at a prison in this southern Pakistani port city, officials said.br> Only close relatives of the accused were permitted to enter the makeshift courtroom in Karachi’s Central Prison and journalists were kept waiting outside under armed guard.
British-born Islamic militant Sheikh Omar, the prime suspect and self-confessed kidnapper, entered the courtroom through a back entrance amid tight security.
He appeared along with three other suspects – Sheikh Adil, Salman Saquib and Fahad Naseem – accused of sending e-mails showing pictures of the Wall Street Journal reporter with a gun to his head.
Seven other accused are still at large.
All the accused have been charged with murder, kidnapping for ransom and terrorist activities, which carry a maximum penalty of death.
Minutes after the proceedings began, the trial was adjourned until April 12, but not before Saquib told the court he was tortured while in custody.
”I have made sacrifices for Pakistan. I have done jihad in Kashmir but when I was arrested I was tortured, I was not allowed to sleep, I was slapped 100 times and today I have hepatitis C,” he told the court, according to defence lawyer Khawaja Naveed.
Naveed told reporters outside the court that he had protested about the trial being held in camera.
”I did protest about why journalists were not allowed but there was no reply,” he said.
The Sindh High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition from Omar’s defence team to have the trial held in a normal courtroom, saying security was the paramount concern.
Pakistani journalists held their own protest but were told that the Sindh provincial home office had issued clear orders that reporters could not attend the trial.
A press briefing was expected to be held later, but only a member of the prosecution team was scheduled to address reporters.
Chief prosecutor Raja Qureshi said he planned to call Pearl’s pregnant wife, Mariane, as a witness along with more than 30 others, including agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which assisted Pakistani police in the case.
”Her name is on the top of the list but due to medical reasons she may not be able to come. If she’s not able to travel then the court may go to her,” he said.
But he added that witnesses would not be called for some time as there were still some technical issues for the court to discuss.
Qureshi said he would press the court to hold a separate trial for the seven absconders.
The trial is the most important court proceedings in Pakistan since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif faced tax evasion and hijacking charges two years ago.
Omar (29) told a court hearing on February 14 that he was responsible for the kidnapping, but police have not yet found Pearl’s body.
Omar was indicted by a US federal grand jury on March 14 for Pearl’s abduction and murder and for the 1994 abduction of an American tourist in India.
The United States has also sought Omar’s extradition but Pakistani authorities insist that he face justice in Pakistan first. – Sapa-AFP