Assalam-o-Alaikum
and Ramazan Mubarak.
Eighteen years ago,
in 2002, we lost our son, Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered
in Karachi, Pakistan.
We still remember
the day Daniel was born, in a hospital in Princeton, New Jersey. He was an
unusually easy baby, always peaceful, self-assured and self-entertained, even in
discomfort and stillness.
We raised Daniel to
worship truth, honesty and friendship. He was friendly to all strangers. He
didn’t know what a stranger was. For him, a stranger meant an opportunity to
develop a new friendship based on mutual respect and trust. He grew up to be a
journalist, committed to writing the truth and upholding principles of justice
and humanity throughout his many journeys to the Middle East and Asia.
After the tragic
events of September 11, Daniel went to Pakistan as a journalist with his wife,
Mariane. There, in Islamabad, he learned he was going to have a son and chose
to name his baby Adam, to symbolise the unity of mankind. But Daniel was never
to see Adam.
Instead, while on
professional duty as a journalist, reporting, he met a diabolical criminal
named Omar Sheikh, who lured Daniel to Karachi in a complicated, cruel plot to
kidnap him for ransom. With Daniel in captivity, Sheikh made all sorts of
ransom demands, all under the threats of death. He wanted Pakistani prisoners freed
from Guantanamo Bay. He wanted the delivery of F-16 fighter jets from the US to
Pakistan.
Sheikh was helped in
his criminal plot by three men — Fahad Nasim, Syed Salman Saqib and Sheikh
Muhammad Adil. Days after Daniel’s kidnapping, our son was brutally
murdered in cold blood — in front of a video camera that documented his death.
These four men are
directly responsible for our son’s murder, and they were convicted in 2002 of
their role in that inhumane, barbaric act.
Over these 18 long
years, we have continued to believe that truth and justice will be upheld in
Pakistan. However, in April this year, the Sindh High Court overturned the
convictions and sentences of the four men convicted in Daniel’s murder, ruling
that they should go free.
We strongly believe
this decision is a travesty of justice and that it sends the wrong message to
violent extremists and potential terrorists the world over. Therefore, we have
filed an appeal against the decision in the Honourable Supreme Court of
Pakistan.
Our intention is
very simple: to make certain that the four men responsible for our son’s murder
remain behind bars so that all Pakistanis and journalists are safe.
In losing Daniel, we
found a new purpose for our lives. In our long personal journey of 18 years, we
have built bridges with Pakistan by hosting Pakistani journalists in our home,
sponsoring music concerts in Pakistan, initiating interfaith dialogues with
Muslim colleagues in the US. and nurturing life-long friendships with those who
share our values of peace, tolerance and humanity.
Today, we are
standing up for justice — not only for our son, but also for all of our dear
friends in Pakistan and around the world. The men behind Daniel’s murder
represent an extremism that we must challenge, and the world is watching how
the courts in Pakistan keep its citizens safe from terrorism and creates a
future of peace.
As parents, we know
that, regardless of differences, parents everywhere want to raise their
children in a safe society, free of the violence and terror that took Daniel’s
life.
Like our son, we
believe in the values of peace, friendship and justice, and we want to do
everything in our power to realise your hopes of keeping Pakistan safe for its
citizens.
We hope that you
will stand by us and support our appeal for all people of conscience. May
justice and peace prevail among our people. Ameen.
Ruth and Judea Pearl
are the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered
in Karachi in 2002. They are cofounders of the Daniel Pearl Foundation.
Newspaper: Dawn
