The Supreme Court has set a hearing of appeals filed from the federal and Sindh governments against the release of an accused in Daniel Pearl murder case Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh for June 2, it was learnt on Friday.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial will hear the appeals of the governments against the release of Sheikh, who was accused of the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
The court has issued notices to Sheikh and other respondents in the case as the former has been shifted to a rest house in Lahore from a Karachi prison.
On March 25, the apex court granted a plea to shift Shaikh to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.
A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, directed the Punjab chief secretary to appear on the next hearing. An additional advocate general stated before the court that the accused moved a plea seeking to shift him to Punjab.
Observing that the court is not satisfied with the continued detention of Shaikh and other accused despite their acquittal in the murder case, Justice Bandial instructed the government to provide all facilities to them.
The additional AG said the provincial government has decided to keep Shaikh in jail employees’ colony. Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a member of the bench, questioned when the accused will be shifted to Punjab, to which, the attorney general replied that he will be shifted within a week.
Adjourning the hearing for two weeks, the SC directed the government to provide all health facilities to the accused who, his lawyer said, is unwell and needs treatment. The court called for compliance reports to be submitted in the judges’ chamber for perusal.
