19 April 2002

U.S. Expects Pearl Murder Trial to Open in Pakistan April 22

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters April 19 that the Pakistani judge who had been appointed in the murder trial of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl has been removed for technical reasons but the United States expects the trial to open as scheduled Monday, April 22.

"Pakistan and the United States agree that justice must be done in this case. We'll work together to make sure that objective is achieved. There has been excellent cooperation thus far between our law enforcement agencies," Boucher said at his daily State Department briefing in Washington.

Asked whether the United States would seek the extradition of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the accused mastermind of Pearl's kidnapping and murder, Boucher said the United States wants to see Saeed in U.S. custody, perhaps after he is first tried in a Pakistani court.

Following is an excerpt from the transcript of Boucher's April 19 briefing containing his comments about the Pearl trial:

Question: With respect to the Pearl trial in Pakistan, the judge has been removed three days prior to the trial. Under those circumstances, does the United States want to move that venue to the United States courts?

Mr. Boucher: Well, we understand that Judge Arshad Noor Khan has been taken off the Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh case because he heard statements from the accused in a February court appearance and can therefore be considered a witness, according to the defense. Pakistan and the United States agree that justice must be done in this case. We will work together to make sure that objective is achieved. There has been excellent cooperation thus far between our law enforcement agencies.

We understand the trial will go forward on Monday as scheduled. US law enforcement officials will continue to assist Pakistani prosecutors as appropriate. So they do intend to go forward with this trial without any particular delay. It was a technical reason for the change, and they appear to be prepared to go forward. We have always supported justice -- that justice be done.

Question: So the US is not demanding any more the extradition of the killer --

Mr. Boucher: No, we have always said we want him in our jurisdiction, but as these things have gone forward, we have to figure out who is going to try him first and what the sequencing might be. So in this case, the Pakistanis are trying him first.