KARACHI, March 1: Judicial magistrate Karachi, South, Ms Erum Jehangir, on Friday recorded the confessional statment of another accused in the U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl’s abduction and murder case.

The accused, Syed Salman Saqib, was produced before the court amid tight security at about 11:15 am. He was wearing shalwar kamez and his face was covered with a peace of white cloth. His confessional statement ended at about 1:10 pm and he was sent to jail in an armoured personnel carrier of the Pak Colony police station at about 1:20 pm.

According to the prosecution, the accused acted as a contact between the main accused Ahmed Omar Shaikh and the co-accused Fahad Naseem who allegedly sent emails regarding the abduction of Daniel Pearl.

No details were available regarding the confessional statement. However, the counsel for the accused, Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, told newsmen in the premises of the City Courts that the accused had perhaps stated his role in the crime.

According to Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, the magistrate had refused to supply to him and the police the copies of the confessional statement and directed him to get the copies of the statements of the accused Fahad and Salman from the trial court, on the beginning of the trial.

“This time the magistrate did not allow me to read the statement saying that I had disclosed the confessional statement of the accused Fahad Nasim to the media”, he said.

The defence counsel also stated that the accused had complained to the magistrate that he was not feeling well due to his old injuries. The magistrate ordered the jail authorities to provide the accused with all basic medical facilities. She also directed Khwaja Naveed to file an application before the administrative judge of the Anti-Terrorism Courts regarding the medical treatment of the accused.

Khwaja Naveed said that Salman had been in custody since February 11, 2002, while his statement was recorded now. He added that any statement made after such a long period had no value.

The administrative judge for the ATCs on February 25, 2002, had extended the police remand of three accused, Salman Saqib, Shaikh Muhammad Adil and Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh, till March 12, 2002.

The fourth arrested accused, Fahad Nasim, had earlier recorded his confessional statement.—PPI/APP