HYDERABAD, June 17: Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh – one of the four convicts in US journalist Daniel Pearl kidnapping and murder case – has been brought back to Hyderabad central prison for security reasons.

IG prisons Sindh Ghulam Qadir Thebo also confirmed that another convict of the case, Sheikh Adil, is being shifted to Karachi prison under directive of the Sindh High Court.

Sheikh was shifted to Karachi from Hyderabad prison after he used a cell phone in his security cell which was recovered by prison authorities. Thebo said that for security measures the prison administration doesn’t want to keep all convicts of this case at one place. “So we are shifting them for security reasons”, he said.

Sheikh, he said, was brought to Karachi after conditions in the central prison went out of control of the former administration.

“Now Hyderabad central prison is much better, therefore, we have shifted him there”, he said.

He added that Sheikh Adil is being brought to Karachi in line with high court’s directive.

“We can’t keep all the convicts at one place even otherwise from security point of view.

“So we have to segregate them as well and since we are satisfied with Hyderabad jail’s present conditions we decided to send Sheikh back to the same jail where he was earlier lodged and faced trial”, said the IG prisons.

Jail Superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhandi – who initially avoided to confirm his shifting in response to a query – later confirmed Sheikh’s shifting to central prison. “Yes you are right he has been shifted to our jail”, he said.

“We have ensured sufficient security and currently situation is totally under control as far as previous disturbances in jail are concerned”, Dr. Ashiq Memon, AIG prisons said.

He said that superintendent jail is quite capable and he must have taken all security measures to ensure the convict’s surveillance.

Shaikh was awarded capital punishment in Daniel Pearl case on July 15, 2002 by an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) judge. His co-accused Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib, are sentenced to life imprisonment in the same case.

The trial was held in the Hyderabad prison for which the accused were shifted to Hyderabad from Karachi in May 2002. Their appeals against sentences are pending in the high court.