By: Zarar Khan, Associated Press Writer (AP) Lawyers defending the chief suspect in the kidnap-slaying of
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl said Wednesday they were ready to begin their final summations, after dropping plans to appeal a ruling on defense witnesses.
Lawyers for Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh allowed a two-day deadline to lodge the appeal to lapse and are expected to be back in court Thursday to begin final summations, said Mohsin Imam, a legal assistant on the defense team.
The summations are the final stage in the trial of Saeed and three other men charged with kidnapping and murdering Pearl, the
Journal's South Asia correspondent, who disappeared from the southern city of Karachi Jan. 23.
A few days after Pearl's disappearance, news organizations received e-mails claiming responsibility for the kidnapping in the name of a previously unknown group, the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty. The group demanded, among other things, better treatment for Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners held by the Americans in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The U.S. Consulate in Karachi received a videotape in February that showed Pearl dead.
The remains of a body believed to be Pearl's were recovered in Karachi in mid-May from a shallow grave near a shed where police believe he was held before being killed. DNA results are pending.
Prosecutors allege Saeed masterminded Pearl's kidnapping in retaliation for the U.S. military operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan. He allegedly lured Pearl to an appointment, saying he would help arrange a meeting with a Muslim cleric as part of the reporter's investigation of Islamic extremists in Pakistan.
Key to the defense is Saeed's claim that he was detained a week earlier than authorities announced in violation of Pakistani law. In a statement to the court, Saeed claimed authorities detained him secretly in order to fabricate evidence against him.
Defense witnesses including Saeed's father testified that he was with his son when he surrendered on Feb. 5. Police have told the court that Saeed was arrested on Feb. 13.
Under Pakistani law, suspects must be presented in court within 24 hours of their detention.
Admitted into evidence were videotapes of Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 news reports by state-run Pakistan Television that showed Saeed in custody. The news reports said at the time that he had been arrested earlier.
On Monday, the defense asked to call Pakistan Television officials to testify about the accuracy of the news reports, but the court denied the request. The defense said it would appeal and the court adjourned for two days to allow time for the procedure.
But Saeed's chief counsel, Abdul Waheed Katpar, decided not to go ahead with the appeal because the prosecution had agreed not to challenge the accuracy of the news reports, Imam said.
Chief prosecutor Raja Qureshi has said the defense evidence is insufficient to acquit Saeed.
Katpar was expected to kick off defense and prosecution summations. Imam predicted Katpar would take two days to finish, and defense lawyers for the three co-accused would likely take another two days. Qureshi said his summation was likely to last one day.
After the summations, the judge will adjourn to consider his verdict, a process that could take weeks or months.
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