Pakistan overturns Omar Saeed's death sentence in Daniel Pearl murder

A Pakistani court on Thursday overturned the death sentence for British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted 18 years ago in the kidnapping and beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl.

Pearl's brutal murder sparked revulsion and an international outcry in early 2002, putting pressure on Pakistan's military government just as it was trying to remake its image following years of backing for the hardline Islamist Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Omar Sheikh's lawyer Khawja Naveed told AFP his client's sentence had been reduced to seven years in prison following a lengthy appeals process.

Since Omar Sheikh had been in prison since 2002, he was expected to be released, but the court had not yet issued that order, Naveed added. He was sentenced in July 2002 for abducting and murdering Pearl.

Saleem Akhtar, a prosecutor in the case, told AFP he would file a petition in the Supreme Court against Thursday's verdict, which came from the high court of Sindh province.

"It is a very detailed verdict and I have to go through it thoroughly to prepare the grounds for the appeal," Akhtar said, adding he hoped to file the appeal within two days.

Naveed and local media said the court also overturned the convictions of three other men in the case. They had been convicted of abetting Omar and sentenced to life in prison. It was not immediately clear when they might be released.

Pearl, 38, was the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal when he was abducted in Karachi in January 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants.

A graphic video showing his decapitation was delivered to the US consulate in the city nearly a month later. Omar Sheikh was arrested in 2002 and an anti-terror court sentenced him to death by hanging.