Remember Daniel Pearl, the Mumbai-based correspondentof the Wall Street Journal, who went to Karachi in January, 2002, to do astory on the Pakistani links of the so-called shoe bomber?
Remember how he was trapped and kidnapped by a group of jihadi terrorists ofPakistan?
Remember how he was brutally killed by his throat being slit before videocameras like one slits the throat of a sacrificial goat?
Remember how his dead body and severed head were found buried in a plot ofland in Karachi belonging to a so-called charitable organisation close to theJaish-e-Mohammad?
Remember Omar Sheikh, a Pakistani resident of London, who had orchestrated thebrutal incident?
Remember his role in the jihad against the Serbs in Bosnia?
Remember his subsequent role in acts of terrorism in India?
Remember his arrest and detention in India?
Remember how Pakistan's Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) hijacked an Indian Airlinesaircraft in December,1999, to Kandahar and secured his release?
Remember his surrender to the then Home Secretary of Punjab in February,2002,after the kidnapping of Pearl?
Remember how Gen.Pervez Musharraf concealed this information from the Americanpublic during his visit to the US in February,2002?
Remember how Musharraf lied to the American public that Pearl was still alivewhen he knew he was dead?
Remember the trial and conviction of Omar Sheikh and some of his associatesbefore a special anti-terrorism court?
Remember the judgement pronounced by the court on July 15, 2002, sentencing OmarSheikh to death and three others to life imprisonment?
Remember the appeal filed by Omar Sheikh against the death sentence?
Advertisement
In a few days, it will be five years since the brutalmurder of Pearl. In July, it will be five years since the court sentenced OmarSheikh to death.
Why has his appeal not been disposed of for five years in violation ofPakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, which lays down that hearings interrorism-related cases should be disposed of on a day-to-day basis withoutadjournments being granted?
Musharraf only knows.
Why has a special dispensation been shown to Omar Sheikh and the appeal keptpending for nearly five years— without even a single substantive hearing, intotal violation of the law relating to trials in terrorism-related cases?
Musharraf only knows.
Advertisement
How many times adjournments have been granted by the court to Omar Sheikh?
I used to keep count till January last year, but now I have given up since it ismeaningless.
On what grounds were the adjournments granted?
Indisposition of Omar Sheikh.
Indisposition of his lawyer.
Indisposition of the judge.
Resignation of his lawyer.
Difficulty in finding a new lawyer.
Non-availability of police constables to provide security in the court.
And so on and so on.
Do you know when was the last adjournment granted?
January 19,2007.
Till when?
February 19,2007.
Why?
No reasons were given by the court.
Why do the Pakistani authorities want to keep Omar Sheikh alive? Why are theyhesitant to execute him?
Musharraf only knows.
Why is President George Bush is not taking up this case with Musharraf?
Bush only knows.
Sources in Sindh say that two of the suicide bombers involved in the Londonblasts of July 7,2005, had met Omar Sheikh in jail during their visit toPakistan before the blasts. Is it true?
Musharraf only knows.
Did the British ask the Pakistani authorities for permission to question himon the London blasts?
Of course, they did.
What happened?
The Pakistani authorities asked them to approach the court. They said the matterwas no longer in their hands.
Did the British take up the matter with the court?
Yes, they did.
What happened then?
The court has not had the time to look into it.
Advertisement
Remember the sensational press conference held by theLondon police on August 10, 2006, in which they announced the discovery of aterrorist plot to blow up many US-bound flights through liquid explosives?
Remember the arrest of a number of Pakistani and Bangladeshi residents of the UKin connection with this plot?
Remember the tremendous inconvenience to which thousands of air passengers wereput all over the world following this?
Remember the praise showered on Pakistan by the UK and the US for gettingintelligence about this plot from one Rashid Rauf, a Pakistani from Birmingham,who was arrested in Bhawalpur?
Remember how the Pakistani authorities went to town over his arrest andprojected him as close to a senior, unnamed Al Qaeda leader?
Advertisement
What happened to those arrested by the British police?
Seven of them are currently facing trial.
Why during the hearing so far there has not been much of a reference to theso-called plot to blow up US-bound planes?
Ask the British Police.
What happened to Rashid Rauf?
He was discharged by a court last month on the ground that there was no evidenceagainst him relating to any plot to commit any act of terrorism.
Has he been released?
No. The Pakistani authorities continue to detain him and have gone in appeal tothe Lahore High Court.
Has the Lahore High Court been hearing the appeal?
No.
Advertisement
Then, what is it doing?
Adjourning the case under one pretext or the other.
When was the last adjournment ordered?
January 25, 2007.
On what grounds?
The court has no time.
Has it fixed the date of the next hearing?
No.
Have the British questioned him on the London plot?
No.
Have the British Police asked for his extradition?
Yes.
What has been the response of the Pakistani authorities?
Not possible since Pakistan does not have an extradition treaty with the UK.
How is it the Pakistani authorities have informally handed over so manysuspects to the US, including many terrorists of Al Qaeda, without formalextradition proceedings, but are not prepared to do the same thing with Rauf?
Ask Musharraf.
Advertisement
Why are they so afraid of handing him over to the British?
Ask Musharraf.
What do the US and the UK say to all this?
Musharraf is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism.
He may give shelter to Osama bin Laden in Waziristan.
And yet, he is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism.
He may give shelter to Ayman al-Zawahiri in Waziristan.
And yet, he is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism
He may give shelter to Mulla Mohammad Omar in Quetta.
And yet, he is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism.
He may call off his operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Waziristan.
And yet, he is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism.
Advertisement
He may be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Afghans and hundreds ofNATO forces in Afghanistan.
And yet, he is a trustworthy warrior against terrorism.
Hail to this "trustworthy" warrior—the greatest "ally"of the US and the UK in the war against terrorism.
No wonder Al Qaeda and the Taliban are making hay while Musharrafshines.
B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. ofIndia, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies,Chennai.
