Defense Witness Called In Pearl Case

By: Zarar Khan, Associated Press Writer (AP) The first defense witness in the Daniel Pearl murder trial backed the chief suspect's claim that he surrendered to police a week earlier than authorities have said.

Rauf Ahmed Sheikh, a Pakistan district court judge, said Thursday he was with Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh when he gave himself up to police on Feb. 5, chief prosecutor Raja Qureshi told reporters after a court session Thursday. Ahmed is Saeed's uncle.

In a statement to the court last week, Saeed claimed he was held secretly for a week so that police would have time to manufacture evidence against him in the kidnap-slaying of Pearl, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Saeed's statement about his arrest could become embarrassing for the prosecution because the circumstances of his capture have never been clear. Police announced his arrest in the eastern city of Lahore one day before President Pervez Musharraf was to meet President Bush in Washington. The kidnapping deeply embarrassed the Musharraf government.

Pearl, the Journal's South Asia bureau chief, disappeared Jan. 23 after leaving for an appointment with an Islamic militant contact in the southern city of Karachi.

A few days later, e-mails were received by news organizations announcing his kidnapping by a previously unknown group, the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, which demanded, among other things, better treatment for Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners held by the Americans in Cuba.

A videotape was received by the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in February that showed Pearl dead. The tape surfaced after Saeed was in custody.

Saeed, a British-born former London School of Economics student, and three others have been on trial since April 22.

The defendants have refused to give evidence under oath, but in statements to the court have accused authorities of fabricating the case against them to "please America."

Pakistan is a key U.S. ally in the international fight against terrorism, and is patrolling its border with Afghanistan to stop al-Qaida and Taliban fighters fleeing from entering Pakistan.

Ten Pakistani troops were killed Wednesday in a gun battle with al-Qaida fighters in the border region, the first known Pakistani casualties since the war in Afghanistan started. Two al-Qaida fighters were also killed, Pakistan officials said.

Giving character evidence Thursday, Ahmed said Saeed had surrendered to police because authorities harassed his relatives during the hunt for Pearl.

Under cross-examination by prosecutors, Ahmed said he could offer no evidence to substantiate the claim of harassment, Qureshi said.

Reporters are not allowed into the court, but are routinely briefed by lawyers. Ahmed's lawyers did not speak to reporters after Thursday's almost three-hour hearing.

The hearing was adjourned until Friday, when Saeed's father, a chartered accountant in London, was expected to give evidence.