The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim detention order of the accused in US journalist Daniel Pearl’s murder case by a day.
Despite Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan’s request, the Supreme Court refused to issue a restraining order regarding the release of those accused in the murder case of American journalist Daniel Pearl. All record of the case has also been summoned from the Sindh High Court (SHC) for Tuesday’s hearing.
A three-judge bench of the apex court led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial resumed hearing of the Sindh government appeal against SHC’s December 24 order regarding release of all accused persons. During the hearing, the bench also rejected the accused counsel’s plea to adjourn the case for a week as the primary attorney is ill. Justice Bandial said that the case could not be adjourned for the requested time. In this case, not only the accused persons but also the government is in the dock, he added.
AGP Khan, appearing before the bench, stated that the SHC passed the December 24 order without issuing him a notice and quoted that as the reason for the suspension the order. He also requested the bench to suspend the SHC judgment as this case has international implications. However, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said that without examining SHC’s orders sheet, they could not determine that a notice was not given to the AGP. “We are not suspending the SHC order without seeing order sheet,” said Justice Bandial. The hearing of the case was adjourned until Tuesday (today).
