Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl's dad asks Pakistan army: 'What exactly are you mourning?'

NEW DELHI: Judea Pearl, father of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, has posed searing questions to Pakistan's leaders following reports of elimination of Abdul Rauf Asghar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed commander, who was among those who masterminded his murder after luring him to Pakistan.

He also sought justice for his son while dismissing as eyewash Pakistan's claim of having taken action against his son's killers.

As dignitaries and Pakistan army officers were spotted attending the funeral of terrorists killed in India's surgical strike on May 7, Pearl wondered what exactly they were mourning and what role models they wished their children to revere.

While expressing gratitude to those who reached out to him after Rauf's elimination by Indian military forces, Judea detailed the Jaish commander's role in a post on X. He said Rauf was "a Pakistani extremist and leader of the terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed". "His group wasn't directly involved in Daniel's abduction but was indirectly responsible, as his (Rauf's) actions led to Omar Sheikh's release from prison during the Kandahar hijack. Sheikh, later sentenced to death, lured Daniel into captivity," Judea said in his post.

"Sheikh was later sentenced to death but ultimately released from prison and kept in a 'govt safe house'," he said. Judea asked the international community not to forget that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani who scripted the 9/11 attack on New York, and Sheikh had not been punished yet for Daniel's murder. "I hope this incident will help refocus attention on two other criminals directly involved in Danny's murder," he said, seeking justice for his son's tragic death.

Daniel was kidnapped by jihadi terrorists in Jan 2002 while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani religious cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes, messages, and quotes !