Death row Briton's execution on hold

The planned execution of a Briton who has been on death row in Pakistan for 18 years was delayed again yesterday following the intervention of the Prince of Wales, whose forthcoming visit to the country would have coincided with the hanging.

Prison officials in Pakistan announced that the death of Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, who was to have been hanged on 1 November, had been delayed for two months after the Prince's approach to the Pakistan prime minister, Shaukat Aziz. There were also unconfirmed reports from Pakistan that President Pervez Musharraf has appointed a legal counsel to re-examine the case and consider the possibility of a pardon for Hussain, who was arrested over the murder of Jamshed Khan, a taxi driver, soon after leaving Leeds for Pakistan in 1988. He has now been in custody for half his life.

Mr Hussain's brother, Amjad, said that repeated delays to the execution were "torture and murder by a thousand cuts." After a conversation with his brother, Amjad Hussain said: "There must be no more silly games; no more of this. Why are they playing cat and mouse with the life of my brother?"

Mirza Hussain was in good spirits yesterday, though exhausted by the intense pressure which has accompanied the postponement of two imminent execution dates in the past month.

"In postponing the execution President Musharraf has clearly recognised the strength of public feeling over this case," added Amjad Hussain. "But the correct response would have been for him to pardon my brother or commute his sentence, not to merely postpone this barbaric punishment, presumably in the hope that the fuss will die down.

"My brother did not commit the crime of murder that he has been convicted of."

Amnesty International was seeking clarification last night of reports from Pakistan that government legal advisers were reconsidering the case. A senior government official hinted at attempts to save Mr Hussain. "The government will try to find a permanent solution to this issue," he told Reuters.

Hussain has always contended that the taxi driver tried to sexually assault him and then pulled a gun, which went off when they struggled. He was acquitted, but was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to death by an Islamic court in 1998, and his appeals to the Supreme Court and for a presidential pardon were turned down. Under Pakistan's parallel Islamic legal system, Hussain could be freed if Khan's family accepts a "blood money" settlement. The month-to-month stays of execution since June have been to give the Hussains more time to persuade the Khans to pardon him in return for compensation, but to no avail.

In an interview with the BBC's Asian Network conducted from his mobile phone, Mirza Hussain said: "I am grateful to His Royal Highness for showing interest in my plight. I am also grateful to Prime Minister [Tony] Blair for his continued representation. It is the 11th hour and I once again renew my heartfelt plea to President Musharraf to pardon me and reflect on my circumstances and sufferings when he leads the country in celebrating Eid."