Pakistan's military establishment will be hoping that the speedy trial of all those accused in the murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, will strengthen its international reputation as a reliable partner in the war against terrorism. A special anti-terrorism court concluded the trial within weeks, unlike the many years that regular Pakistani courts take to complete proceedings. The main accused, Omar Saeed Sheikh, has been sentenced to death and the three other co-accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The kidnapping and subsequent murder of Pearl, who was visiting Karachi in January this year had caused widespread shock, and deeply tarnished Pakistan's reputation. Pearl had been in the process of establishing links between al Qaida and religious organizations active in Pakistan. In February, the abductors released a video cassette, which depicted the details of his assassination. The irony, of course, is that Sheikh had spent several years in Indian prisons for the abduction of several foreigners, including an American in 1994. Later, Sheikh was one of the terrorists released in exchange for the civilians of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999. Since then he had operated with impunity in Pakistan, and had become closely associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad and al Qaida. He was involved with planning terrorist operations against India, and in building resistance to the American presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Indeed, even those opposed to the capital punishment are unlikely to have much sympathy for him. Unlike most terrorists, he was a product of privilege who benefited from an education at some of the world's leading institutions, including the London School of Economics and Political Science. Excerpts from a diary that he had maintained in Indian jails, reveal a depraved mind who was willing to go to any lengths in pursuit of what he believed to be a just and noble cause. The conclusion of the Pearl murder case, however, should not suggest that Pakistan has successfully won the battle against terrorism. There is, for instance, evidence to suggest that elements within Pakistan's military regime still view the export of terror as an important instrument of its policy in Kashmir. Moreover, there are rogue groups that continue to operate even without support from the establishment. The recent terrorist attack in Jammu, believed to have been inspired by the Lashkar-e-Toiba, is a pointer in this direction. Many terrorist groups have even threatened to act against the sentence awarded to Sheikh and his colleagues. There is need, therefore, for international pressure to be sustained on Islamabad until it demonstrates clearly that its soil has been totally cleansed of terrorists.