The main accused in the murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is likely to walk free in the coming days, after a Pakistani court commuted his death sentence.
But the court ruled on Thursday (April 2) his role in the murder wasn't proven and gave him seven years for the kidnapping.
Sheikh Omar has already spent 18 years in jail awaiting the outcome of an appeal -- so he's likely to walk free in the coming days.
Three co-accused were acquitted.
A prosecutor is expected to file a new appeal, but the four men are likely to be released pending the outcome unless a Supreme Court order stops that happening.
Sheikh Omar enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the UK before attending the London School of Economics.
He was also arrested in India in the 90s for his involvement in kidnapping Western tourists.
2021A Pakistani born human rights defender, Baseer Naveed, has said that radical group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) enjoys the backing of the Pakistan army. TLP continues to hold Pakistan to ransom since after the arrest of its party Chief Saad Hussain Rizvi in Lahore on April 12. Police used firing, tear gas shells and chemical water on TLP protesters. Many policemen and TLP supporters were killed during the violent clashes. TLP is a hardline religious group with a massive following across Pakistan. It has been demanding expulsion of the French ambassador from Pakistan. TLP is opposing publication of blasphemous caricatures in Charlie Hebdo magazine and remarks about Islam and terrorism by French President Emmanuel Macron. Pakistan interior ministry recently issued notification to declare TLP as a proscribed organization. It said that the government "has reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is engaged in terrorism".
The interior ministry said the measure was taken "in order to maintain public order and safety" after several days of heightened anti-French sentiments.
Kangra SP Vimukt Ranjan informed that Pakistan mobile signals had been detected on phones of some trekkers near Dharamshala last week that also led to change in their time standard from IST to PST. "Last week, we received information that some trekkers had detected signals from Pakistan on their phones and their time standard was also changed from IST to PST. Dept of Telecommunication was informed for further inquiry," informed Kangra SP Vimukt Ranjan.
WSJ reporter Joe Parkinson tells Amanpour about his book “Bring Back Our Girls,” the story of strength and friendship behind the kidnapped schoolgirls.
In a phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office in December, then-President Donald Trump urged a top investigator to find fraud in the 2020 presidential election, telling her that she would be “praised” for overturning results that were in favor of Joe Biden, according to newly reported audio of the call obtained by the Wall Street Journal. CNN’s Sara Murray has the details.
Evgeni Tanchev's opinion came out on the same day when Poland ruled that the country's human rights ombudsman - a critic of the government - must leave office at the end of his term.
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 03:27Published
Pakistan had suspended social media sites including Facebook and Twitter till 3 pm amid turmoil caused by protests spearheaded by a banned Islamist party.
#PaksitanCivilWar #AntiFrance #Blasphemy
Violent anti-France protests in Pakistan have paralysed large parts of the country. Supporters of Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) clashed with Pakistani security forces. Forces fired bullets, tear gas shells on protestors from the radical Islamist party. The situation turned volatile after the arrest of TLP Chief Saad Hussain Rizvi on April 12. Over 20 TLP activists and at least four Pakistani policemen have died during clashes. Pakistan on Wednesday decided to ban TLP under anti-terror law. TLP has given a deadline of April 20 for the expulsion of the French ambassador. The party has demanded the expulsion over the publication of cartoons of the prophet.
Credit: HT Digital Content Duration: 01:33Published
France has advised that French citizens and companies should temporarily leave Pakistan due to serious threats on French interests in the country, , after violent clashes in the country this week. Thousands of Pakistani Islamists had clashed with police earlier this week in protest against the arrest of their leader ahead of rallies denouncing French cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
#France #Pakistan #PakistanViolence
Pakistan on Wednesday decided to ban a radical Islamist party under the Terrorism Act after its supporters clashed with the law enforcement agencies for the third consecutive day, leaving seven persons dead and over 300 policemen injured. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the media that the Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) was being banned under the Rule 11-B of Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. "I have approved a proposal sent by the government of Punjab to ban the TLP," he said. "We have also warned those who are funding the TLP." Watch the full video for more details.
Credit: HT Digital Content Duration: 02:24Published
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief Saad Hussain Rizvi arrested by police on Monday in Lahore. Police said Rizvi was detained to maintain law and order. Protests broke out in Lahore and other parts of Pakistan following the development. Thousands of protesters blocked streets and intersections in Lahore. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters. Traffic movement was severely affected in cities across Pakistan due to ongoing protests. TLP is a far-right Islamist political party in Pakistan. It has been demanding expulsion of the French ambassador from Pakistan. TLP is opposing publication of blasphemous caricatures in Charlie Hebdo magazine and remarks about Islam and terrorism by French President Emmanuel Macron. TLP said Imran Khan Government has "turned back on its promise" to expel the French envoy.
Pakistani protestors were paraded in a chain with their kurtas tied to eachother's on a road spurred on by the police, and a video of that incident was shared widely. Although details are not clear, but it appears these men are supporters of an islamist political party which is waging a protest against the French envoy demanding his expulsion.
#Karachi #Lahore #PakistanProtest
Mumbai's Karachi Bakery shut shop months after being attacked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over its name. MNS leader Haji Saif Shaikh had sent a legal notice in Nov 2020 to owner of the Bakery. Shaikh had asked him to remove ‘Karachi’ from the name. MNS leaders also protested in front of the shop in Bandra in November. “Patriots will never buy anything when they see the name ‘Karachi’. We made it clear that we only had problem with the name not the bakery,” said Shaikh. A Twitter handle, MNCDF Bombay, refuted the MNS Haji Saif Shaikh’s claim. The handle said that Karachi bakery shut its store due to lack of business. Karachi Bakery, a Hyderabad-based chain, is run by a Sindhi Hindu migrant family. They family moved to India after experiencing violence by pro-Pakistan elements. The bakery has shops across several cities including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru etc. Watch the full video for more.
Credit: HT Digital Content Duration: 02:49Published
A Sharjah-Lucknow IndiGo flight made an emergency landing on Tuesday in Pakistan's Karachi after a medical emergency.
According to an official statement by the airline, the passenger was declared dead on arrival in Karachi by the airport medical team.
An elderly passenger identified as 67-year-old Habib ur Rehman fell seriously ill. The official said that by the time the medical team boarded the flight to treat the passenger, he had died. IndiGo expressed condolences to the family of the passenger.
#IndigoFlight #Pakistan #EmergencyLanding
A Pakistan court on Thursday commuted the death sentence of the prime accused in the 2002 murder case... IndiaTimes - Published Also reported by •Reuters India •Hindu
Pakistani authorities ordered on Friday four men, including a British militant, convicted of the 2002 murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, to be detained for three months despite a lower court’s..
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