This a followup to my previous post on the imminent execution of Mirza Tahir Hussain. I just read this on The Times of London web site:
President Musharraf of Pakistan has postponed indefinitely the execution of Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, a British-Pakistani. He has spent 18 years in prison, despite being acquitted by the High Court a decade ago, and was to be executed on June 1. “The President has postponed the execution on compassionate grounds to allow Mr Hussain’s family to negotiate with the family of the victim,” an official said. Meanwhile, a court sentenced four men to death and three others to life in prison for a suicide attack on Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister, in 2004. [Emphasis added by me.]
This is the only report I have found so far. I am looking to get confirmation from other sources and will post as soon as I find out.
However, if this report is accurate, this is great news indeed.
UPDATE (May 23, 2006 6:26 PM): The BBC is also reporting that Mr. Hussain’s execution has been stayed:
A Leeds man on death row in Pakistan has been spared after the president called off next week’s execution.
…
The Pakistan High Commission in London said Hussain had been granted an indefinite stay of execution on Monday.
Under Islamic law, the families of the dead taxi driver and Hussain must reach agreement on how the case is to be settled, usually by some form of compensation.
Speaking from Islamabad on Tuesday, Hussain’s brother Amjad told the BBC: "The Pakistan High Commissioner phoned me last night to tell me we have an indefinite stay of execution."
UPDATE (May 24, 2006 10:15 AM): AFP, Reuters and The Times of London are now reporting that the stay of execution is only for a month. According to the AFP report:
The president has granted a one-month extension on the application of the family," foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told AFP. It will take effect from June 1, when an earlier month-long stay of execution was due to run out.
"This is basically if the victim’s family and the accused can work out something during that period," she said.
But Amjad Hussain told the BBC that the Pakistan High Commissioner telephoned him on Monday night to say that Mirza had received an "indefinite" postponement of the death sentence.
"This is great news, but it is only a step in the right direction," he was quoted as saying. "It is not the end of the road because I will not give up this campaign until my brother is freed and allowed to come back to his family in England."
A spokesman for the Pakistani High Commission in London also said earlier that the postponement was indefinite.
If this is true, all I can say is “Wow!” I, and I’m sure others did too, wrote an email to Musharraf to have him look into Hussain’s case and something was done. This made my day!
Too bad that doesn’t work here in the States.
Robbie, I trust that the BBC report is pretty conclusive. Although I have not seen anything yet on the Pakistani newspaper websites.
Musharraf needs all the good press he can get. Tony Blair apparently got personally involved. And I think the emails from the US and the UK must have started to add up. He probably wanted to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment that was caused by his handling of the Mukhtar Mai situation. This time he quit while he was ahead. =d>
Thanks to everyone who chipped in with emails and letters. Thanks also to John Aravosis for giving this case attention on his blog. o:-)
This is of course not the end of the affair. Mirza Tahir Hussain is still in jail. They have to work out some deal with the Taxi driver’s family to get him out of jail and safely back to Britain. But this is a positive start and hopefully this will come to a good conclusion soon. :)>-
Mash, thanks for bringing this to our attention. (I addressed Mussharraf as “Your excellency”, was that the proper form of address?)
I could think of a few other ways to address this leader, although proper would not properly characterize them.
Here‘s the Guardian story. Sajjad Karim, MEP for Northwest England, is lobbying Mussharaf personally and giving him a plea for clemency. I suppose if all else fails the answer is to try to help raise the blood money to buy Hussain out and bring him home. I will keep an eye on this.
Mr. Bill & A. Cottreau, “His Excellency” works fine in formal circumstances. Though it would sound kind of hollow coming from me since I have already called him a “thug” in my earlier posts. :d
But this can be a political win for him, so I appeal to his political side. He can use this issue to his gain and perhaps the rest of us can use him to spare the life of an innocent man. :-”
jayann, thanks for the Guardian link and the link to the MEP’s site. His quotes struck exactly the right tone.
Is this news getting any coverage on television in the UK? How big is this story there? Here, its a below the fold story at best in the print media and I have seen zero coverage on TV.
Thanks to all of those persons who have played there role in this case.
May God Help MR.Hussain.
Kamran, it is difficult for us to keep abreast of the story from so far. I survey the Pakistani papers on the web for news to see if I can pick up any crumbs.
What is the sentiment about this in Pakistan? I read the editorial in the Pakistan Observer and was shocked. How does the man on the street feel? I look forward to your insight. Thanks.
Salaam all
If you haven’t seen this on the news, please see channel4’s special report, you can watch it online.(copy and paste the link on your browser)
http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=2426
Thanks
From Yahoo News Today:
Beagle, that is great news! Thank you for tracking that down. I had not seen it yet.
I do wish that they would spare him and his family the torture of these monthly stays and simply pardon him. There is plenty of evidence to do just that.
Pingback: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying » Pakistan Postpones Mirza Tahir Hussain’s Execution Again
I am in the favor of letting this man go because he is innocent. I believe instead of apealing to Musharaf and British MPs, people should write to murdered man’s family and try to convince them to forgive this young man. Perhaps it was an acciedent and driver himself was some what resposible.
I am a pushtoon and know how to approach them in such cases. I hope Mr. Hussain family find approach them the right way. There are many ways they will agree. I am sure the first one is not the best way. The first oen is to let a man from the deceased family family marry a girl from the accused family. second is approach them through their closest friends and Jirga and ask for forgiveness with a secret offer of money. I will be welling to serve as a liason if necessary and will be welling to find sources in making the proper connections.
I am sure that Mirza Tahir is innocent. The best strategy to apprroach relogious clergy of MMA, and pressure them to ask the victom family for forgiveness. Allah always appreciate forgiveness.
It looks like Mirza Tahir has gotten another 2 month stay of execution because Musharraf does not want to execute him while Prince Charles is visiting – that would just not be proper, apparently!
I think with the whole world watching, Musharraf would be stupid to execute an innocent man based on what was a sham trial in the Islamic courts.
The brother of a Briton who has been on death row in Pakistan for 18 years is flying to Islamabad after reports that Mirza Tahir Hussain has been beaten up by prison officials. Amjad Hussain said that he wanted to get to the bottom of claims in Pakistan’s Urdu press that his brother was attacked after making an illicit call to the BBC’s Asian Network by mobile phone. He was speaking after a Westminster Hall debate in which Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds NW) urged Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf to use his authority to get the sentence commuted
It has just been reported that Mirza Tahir Hussain has been released and is on his way back to the UK! The British Government, reportedly, took custody of Mirza to protect him from the victim\’s family and any revenge that may be sought. He is said to be on a plane home now. How fortunate for him! It shows that miracles can happen. After 18 years wrongfully imprisoned and several postponed executions, he is now a free man. WOW!
KS, I also just heard about it. Tess sent me email earlier saying his sentence had been commuted to life, and today CNN is reporting that he is on a flight back. Great news indeed! 🙂
Fantastic news, my thoughts and prayers have been with the Hussain family since this story was brought to my attention. Lets just all hope that Mirza can now be left to rebuild his shattered life, he may look aged but he is only 36. May Allah give him strength, a lesson to us all….NEVER give up your faith. Always have Sabar (patience).