NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The United States is following the murder trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan very closely, Deputy Spokesman of the State Department Philip Reeker has said.
"We will be following the trial closely. We expect there will be due transparency and due process to the proceedings, in spite of quite understandable security concerns," he said.
Officers from the US consulate in Pakistan would attend the trial, he said and added that US law enforcement officials would assist Pakistani prosecutors as appropriate.
"We agree with the Pakistanis that justice must be done in this case, and we have been working together all along to ensure that this objective is achieved," said Reeker.
The trial began on Friday behind closed doors at a prison in Karachi.
Only close relatives of the accused were permitted to enter the makeshift courtroom in Karachi's Central Prison, and journalists were kept waiting outside under armed guard.
British-born Islamic militant Sheikh Omar, the prime suspect and self-confessed kidnapper, entered the courtroom through a back entrance amid tight security. He appeared along with three other suspects -- Sheikh Adil, Salman Saquib and Fahad Naseem -- accused of sending e-mails showing pictures of Pearl with a gun to his head.
Seven other accused are still at large.
PTI
Tell us what you think of this report
