The Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Government's request to suspend the order to release British-born al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and his three aides in the brutal murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, days after it announced to formally join the review proceedings against the acquittal of the accused amid mounting international pressure.
The court, however, extended the interim detention order of main accused Sheikh and his aides - Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib- by one day to hear the government's position on the case.
During the hearing on Monday, the Attorney General of Pakistan requested the Supreme Court to suspend the decision to release the accused so that he could argue the case in detail. The apex court rejected the request, according to a report in The Express Tribune.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of the accused by dismissing appeals against their acquittal by the Sindh High Court. The judgement was denounced by Pearl's family as “a complete travesty of justice”.
The Sindh government on Friday filed a review petition in the apex court against the acquittal of Sheikh and his three accomplices.
Amid mounting pressure from the US and the UN, a spokesman of the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) on Saturday announced that the federal government will file an appropriate application before the apex court to be allowed to join as a party in the proceedings and further seek review and recall of the court's January 28 judgement.