Pearl killer ends hunger strike

Omar Sheikh has been held in the Hyderabad jail

Omar Sheikh, the man convicted of masterminding the abduction and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, has ended a hunger strike.

One of the convicts, Salman Saquib, is suffering from hepatitis-C but the authorities have not provided any medical treatment to him

Ray Bashir: Lawyer

Prison officials say Sheikh and an accomplice, Sheikh Adil, began their fast a week ago in protest at conditions in the jail and alleged cruel treatment at the hands of staff.

They and two others, Fahad Naseem and Salman Saquib, are appealing against convictions for Mr Pearl's abduction and murder handed down by an anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad central jail where they are being held.

Prison officials have told the BBC the strike had no impact on their status, that they began it "on their own" and they ended it "unconditionally".

Strike ends

The head of prisons in Sindh province, Brigadier Nisar Mehr, told the AFP news agency that Omar Sheikh had informed prison officials on Thursday that their hunger strike had ended.

Omar Sheikh: denies killing Daniel Pearl

A lawyer acting for Omar Sheikh, Rai Bashir, said his client was not being allowed any privacy during visits by family members and relatives.

Mr Bashir said: "One of the convicts, Salman Saquib, is suffering from hepatitis-C but the authorities have not provided any medical treatment to him."

He said it was only after assurances were given that they would be treated like ordinary prioners, without any cruelty, that Omar Sheikh agreed to end the hunger strike.

Daniel Pearl, who worked for the Wall Street Journal, was working on a report on Pakistan-based militants when he went missing in Karachi on 23 January.

Daniel Pearl's body was found near Karachi

E-mails carrying photographs of Mr Pearl held in custody were sent to news organisations and provided the clue for the arrests of the men convicted for the murder.

Uncertainties over Mr Pearl's fate were not fully resolved until DNA tests conducted on the decapitated body found on the outskirts of Karachi confirmed its identity.