HYDERABAD, May 27: The chief prosecutor and Advocate-General of Sindh, Raja Qureshi, sought time from the Anti-terrorism Court to seek instructions from the government to argue his application when hearing resumed in the Daniel Pearl case here on Monday.

Mr Qureshi, in his application, had sought appointment of a commission to record the statement of Mariane Pearl, wife of the slain Daniel Pearl, after her counsel, Barrister M. Jamil, informed the court that he was not sure whether she would be able to travel to Karachi.

During the previous proceedings, M. Jamil submitted to the court a medical certificate, issued by Mariane Pearl’s doctor, with her statement telling the court that she was willing to appear before the court and record her evidence after the delivery of her baby expected on June 2. The statement, however, contained that her travel depended on her doctor’s advice.

The court fixed Raja Qureshi’s application for Tuesday.

The prosecution is now left with only three witnesses — Mariane Pearl and two investigation officers, Hameedullah Memon and Rao Aslam — to close its side.

The court rose for the day after directing prosecution witness Mahmood Iqbal Hashmi to bring whatever record he kept to prove that the e-mails presented before the court were transmitted from the computer of accused Fahad Naseem through sub-server of another prosecution witness, Naeem Sheikh.

The order was passed by the court after defence counsel, Rai Basheer Ahmed, objected to Hashmi’s statement that the data could be preserved on the main server. The PW must prove his point, he said.

Rai Bashir completed cross-examination of PW, Naeem Sheikh, and will continue cross-examination of Iqbal Hashmi on Tuesday.

The counsel told newsmen, after the court proceedings inside the Central Jail, that the statements of both the PWs were replete with contradictions. He stated that what Iqbal Hashmi stated in his application, had been denied by Naeem Sheikh in his examination-in-chief and cross-examination.

He maintained that the timings and date of e-mails in question, mentioning linkage of accused with electronic mails, were entirely different from what had been mentioned in the statements and report of both the PWs.

Hashmi had verified that the e-mails were sent through the sub-server of Sheikh Naeem. As per the statement of Sheikh Naeem, he provided e-mail facility to 60-70 users and the e-mails which were verified by Iqbal Hashmi were transmitted from line No 66. This line, he deposed, was used from telephone number and laptop of the accused, Fahad Naseem.

Rai Basheer said that there was an important contradiction which revealed that line No 31 was being used and not 66.