Pearl case trial enters final stages
HYDERABAD: The trial in the American journalist Daniel Pearl kidnapping and murder case has entered final stages, as the cross-examination of the last prosecution witness, Investigation Officer (IO) Hameedullah Memon, continued on Tuesday. The hearing was later adjourned for Thursday morning. Defence counsel of the main accused Sheikh Umar, Abdul Waheed Katpar completed his side of the cross-examination on Tuesday, while the counsel of the three co-accused, Salman Saqib, Fahad Naseem and Sheikh Adil started cross-examining IO Hameedullah Memon.
Raja Qureshi, the Advocate General of Sindh, briefing the newsmen, said with the completion of the cross-examination of the last prosecution witness, the required time for the completion of trial would be around one week. About Tuesday’s the proceedings, AG Sindh said due to pre-occupations of the Presiding Officer (PO) of ATC Hyderabad, Wednesday would be off day and hearing would resume on Thursday.
The AG Sindh said defence counsel Abdul Waheed Katpar, while cross-examining the IO in the light of newspaper clippings, tried to prove that Sheikh Umar had surrendered himself to police on February 5 at Lahore. However, they could not prove their stance, as IO Hameedullah Memon maintained that he had arrested Sheikh Umar from the outer signal of the Karachi Airport, as he stood under the shade of a signboard on February 12, 2002. Responding to a question regarding any civilian witness to the arrest of Sheikh Umar, he said two police officials are witnesses, who, Raja Qureshi said, are equally respectable like any civilian.
Regarding the evidence of the carbon copy of the receipt of the computer and scanner, produced by the owner of the shop, namely Arif, the advocate general said there might be the difference of the quality of the carbon, just due to the pressure of the pen and also due to the quality of the carbon paper. About the objection raised by defence counsel with regard to the signature of the complainant of the case, Marianne Pearl, Raja Qureshi said she used to write her name as Marianne Pearl, while she signed as “Pearl”.
About the timing of the proceedings, AG Sindh said it has been agreed that from Thursday proceedings would continue from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm. He told newsmen that after the completion of the cross-examination of the last prosecution witness, there would be a session between the judge and the accused, as the judge, in the light of the evidence and allegations produced by the prosecution and countered by the defence, would examine the four accused.
After the proceedings goes on with full pace, hardly 5 to 6 days would be required for the completion of the trial, if there were no long list of the defence witnesses, he said. Abdul Waheed Katpar, the counsel of Umar Sheikh, told newsmen that some 22 newspapers were produced in the court in which the reports of the arrest of his client were published, which included his arrest from outside the Karachi Airport and surrender to the Police at Lahore.
He said there are only two police officials, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Noor Muhammad and constable Iqbal, as witnesses of the arrest, but there is no civilian witness. Katpar said IO Hameedullah Memon had termed the statement of Judicial Magistrate Irum Jehangir as a lie in which she had said the accused might have given the confessional statement of kidnapping Daniel Pearl because of police torture.
Rai Bashir advocate, the counsel for three co-accused, Salman Saqib, Fahad Naseem and Sheikh Adil, told newsmen that the defence counsel was considering to file a contempt application against the IO, who had termed the statement of the judicial magistrate as a lie. Rai Bashir said he had filed two applications in the court, requesting it to call the Roznamcha Entry Register and Register 19, in which the record of the case property is maintained, on which the court has ordered the production of both.
He said he also requested the court that at the time of the arrest of three co-accused three new mobile phone sets were also taken away by the police, which should be returned to the accused or their relatives, on which AG Sindh held out an assurance that he would ensure the return of the mobile phones.
He added that during the cross-examination, the IO confessed that except one FBI agent John Moligan, he never met any other FBI agent and neither he examined any one in this case. Rai Bashir said the IO also denied having any record of the arrival and departure of the guests, who stayed in Hotel Akbar International.
IO Memon also said he had not given any information to the court, regarding the arrest of Salman Saqib, Fahad Naseem and Sheikh Adil, while he was bound to do so under section 62 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the defence counsel stated. Rai Bashir added that there was a mysterious female character Isra Noumani, who is missing from the record of the case, despite the fact that she was accompanying Daniel Pearl. He said she is the same lady who received Pearl’s e-mails. Rai Bashir said Pearl was using the mobile phone No 0300-9594475, issued in the name of Shafi Muhammad.
He was of the view that since January 23, when, after visiting CPLC office, the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had gone missing, the same mobile phone remained in the use for incoming and outgoing calls till February 20. The police showed some persons in the case as proclaimed offenders, as they could not be arrested by the police, but the same police spared those people whose telephone numbers appeared in the incoming and outgoing call record of the Pearl’s mobile phone, he said.
Source: The News
Date:6/19/2002
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