Jail term for doctor who aided Osama hunt overturned

A Pakistani judicial official has overturned the 33-year jail sentence passed on Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped CIA agents hunting for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden who was killed in 2011.

US officials have hailed Afridi as a hero for helping pinpoint bin Laden’s location before the secret May 2011 raid by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, after more than a decade of searching.

Judicial official Sahibzada Mohammad Anees ordered a new trial on the grounds that another official had exceeded his authority when handing down last year’s sentence. Afridi remains in custody.