KARACHI, March 18: An anti-terrorism appellate bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday issued a notice to attorney general to appear before the court on April 6 and explain the reason for shifting Ahmad Omar Shaikh , convicted accused in kidnapping and murder of French journalist Daniel Pearl in Feb 2001 in Karachi.

When the three appeals, two filed by the accused and another by the state, came up for hearing, AGP was not present. Deputy Attorney General Khursheed A Hashmi, appearing on behalf of AGP, informed the bench that the accused was shifted to Islamabad for his own security.

The bench seized with hearing of application moved by defence counsel Abdul Waheed Katpar, brushed aside the explanation given by Mr Hashmi and put off hearing of all the three appeals as well as application in the matter for April 6 and sought appearance of AGP to explain that under what law the accused was shifted and for what reason.

An ATC for Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas had sentenced Ahmed Omar Shaikh to death, while it awarded life terms to co-accused Fahad Naseem, Adil Shaikh and others on charge of kidnapping and killing Mr Pearl. -APP