Hyderabad, June 22: Three men charged with abducting and murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl testified for the first time in their two-month long trial today, but refused to do so under oath, lawyers said. Fahad Naseem, Salman Saquib and Sheikh Adil, along with the alleged architect of crime, British-born militant Sheikh Omar, could face the death penalty if found guilty. Lawyers for the three men recorded their statements on their behalf before the court, public prosecutor Zahoor-ul Haq told reporters after the hearing. "All the three accused declined to appear as their own witness on oath," he said. Naseem, Saquib and Adil are alleged to have sent emails to news organisations in the days after Pearl's January 23rd abduction in the southern city of Karachi, containing photos of the wall street journal correspondent and threats to kill him. A gruesome video depicting Pearl's killing by hidden assailants surfaced a month after he disappeared and was sent to the US consulate in Karachi. The case was adjourned until June 27.
Defence lawyer Abdul Waheed Katpar said that he would later produce documentary evidence and two witnesses, Omar's father and uncle, in their defence.
Naseem and Saquib expressed their distrust in the court, saying that the trial was being held under British law while they preferred to be tried under Islamic Sharia law.
Bureau Report