British man's execution postponed in Pakistan

The execution of a British man on death row in a Pakistani jail has been postponed until the end of the year, a prison official said today.

Mirza Tahir Hussain, aged 36, originally from Leeds, was convicted of murdering taxi driver Jamshed Khan in 1988 and has been in custody since then.

Yesterday, officials said his death penalty, which has been repeatedly delayed, had been set for November 1.

“We have received orders for a delay in the execution until December 31, 2006,” said Mehmood Ahmed, an official at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Hussain is being held.

“We have informed him and he is happy.”