General Musharraf gives into appeal, allows life sentence for Briton

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday commuted the death sentence of a British national in response to appeals by top British leaders, officials said.

Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, from Leeds in northern England, will instead be given a life sentence and could be eligible for release having spent the past 18 years in prison.

"President Musharraf has commuted the death sentence of Mirza Tahir Hussain into a sentence of life imprisonment," a senior government said on condition of anonymity.

Britain's Prince Charles had asked that Pakistan commute Hussain's sentence, making a request to Musharraf while touring Pakistan late last month and writing to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Charles spoke to Musharraf on the issue during an informal moment while the two walked to the prince's car after an official meeting in Islamabad on October 30.

Pakistan had previously scheduled the hanging of Hussain to take place during the five-day royal trip but had delayed it by two months until December 31.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad said he had no information on whether Hussain's sentence had been commuted but confirmed that negotiations were going on.

A spokesman for the British foreign ministry declined to comment on the report, but said, "Her Majesty's government is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances."