Pakistan's high court today removed the judge presiding over the trial of 11 men accused of the kidnap and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, lawyers said. Lawyers defending prime suspect Sheikh Omar, a British-born Islamic extremist, had petitioned for a change on the grounds that judge Arshad Noor Khan was not impartial. They argued that Khan had heard Omar confess to the kidnapping during a pre-trial hearing and therefore should not preside over the trial. Chief prosecutor Raja Qureshi said the state did not object to the change. "In order to demonstrate complete transparency for a fair and impartial trial, the state has no objection if the case be transfered from the court of judge Arshad Noor Khan to another judge," Qureshi told the court. A new judge would be appointed before the trial is set to resume on April 22, he said.
No telling what kind of fix is in here by this time. They can't very well let Omar Sheikh go, but with the USA fixing a beady eye upon them they can't very well let him off. My guess would still be an "unfortunate accident," possibly while he's undergoing extended (three months or maybe even more) "house arrest." |