Daniel Pearl kidnapping accused: SHC issues contempt notices to CS for not releasing Omer Sheikh

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to chief secretary, special home secretary and jail authorities on a contempt of court application against them filed by Ahmed Omer Sheikh and others for not releasing them in violation of the court orders.

The SHC on December 24 had struck down the nine-month-long preventive detention of British nationality holder Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh and three others despite acquittal in the US journalist Daniel Pearl kidnapping and murder charges by the appellate court. The detenus had challenged their detention under Maintenance of Public Order for three months and later preventive detention under the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The petitioner’s counsel, Nadeem Azar, filed contempt of court application on behalf of petitioners, submitting that the SHC turned down the preventive detention order and directed the prison authorities of Karachi and Sukkur to release them with immediate effect.

He submitted the police told him that were instructed by chief secretary and additional chief secretary home not to release the petitioners.He submitted that the SHC order was in field and the jail authorities, home secretary and chief secretary deliberately and willfully defied the court orders on December 24 and requested the court to proceed against them under contempt of court proceedings and punish them for defying the court orders.

Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin waived notice on the petition and sought time to file comments on the application. The SHC’s division bench, headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, after preliminary hearing of application, issued notices to chief secretary, home department and prison authorities and called their comments on January 7.