PFUJ concerned over ruling in Daniel Pearl murder case

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 2 April 2020

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has raised concerns about the recent ruling on Daniel Pearl's murder. They called for a review of the decision and improvements in the prosecution system.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed concern over the commuting of death sentence of one of the key accused in the murder of Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl by the Sindh High Court.

A joint statement issued by PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi pointed to the timing of this decision. It comes after 18 years when coronavirus grips the world, they said.

"Announcing the decision at such a critical time will bring a bad name for Pakistan, which is currently struggling on many fronts, including the virus."

They said that the country's prosecution system needs revisiting so that murderers could be brought to justice strictly as per the law of the land.

The union leaders said the prosecution had failed to establish the murder charges against the accused while leaving many loopholes in the case that will have many complications.

They called for a review of the decision and asked the government to immediately file an appeal against the high court decision in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

KEY POINTS:

• PFUJ opposes the commuting of the death sentence of a key accused in Daniel Pearl's murder.
• The statement emphasizes the decision's timing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• PFUJ calls for a review and appeals against the Sindh High Court's ruling.
• Concerns raised about the prosecution's failure to secure murder convictions.
• Union leaders highlight existing loopholes in the case.