KARACHI: Omar Saeed Sheikh and others accused in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl will be moved into newly constructed rooms outside the main prison building on Monday, the superintendent of Karachi’s central jail said on Sunday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Sheikh be moved from his death cell to a state rest house. The court gave the order while hearing an appeal filed by the provincial government of Sindh calling for a review of the top court’s decision last month to free Sheikh and three others convicted of beheading Pearl in 2002. Both appeals were rejected by a three-judge bench that ordered Sheikh to be released.
On Saturday, a Sindh government directive said the accused would be moved into rooms within the perimeters of the prison but outside the main jail building.
Hassan Sehto, superintendent of Karachi Central Jail told Arab News the accused would be moved into the new rooms on Monday morning.
“The facility is under construction and working is still underway,” Sehto said. “The rooms will be ready by tomorrow morning after which the detainees will be shifted.”
Sheikh and his co-accused are to be moved to rooms with no access to internet or communication devices, the Sindh government order said, a copy of which is available with Arab News. As per the directive, Sindh’s prison chief will ensure security of the prisoners, jointly provided by police and paramilitary Rangers. The prisons’ chief has also been directed to ensure furnishing of the newly constructed facility.
“However no internet, telephone and for that matter any device/means of communicating with outside world is to be provided,” the directive reads.
Speaking to journalists in Washington on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the US state department said the US remained deeply concerned by developments in the cases of those involved in Pearl’s kidnapping and murder.
“We are alarmed by the recent order to move Sheikh and his co-conspirators from prison.”
