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Briton to hang during royal visit | Briton to hang during royal visit |
(40 minutes later) | |
Prince Charles has been urged to cancel a visit to Pakistan which will coincide with the scheduled execution of a Leeds man on death row. | |
Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, is due to be executed on 1 November for murdering a taxi driver in 1998. | Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, is due to be executed on 1 November for murdering a taxi driver in 1998. |
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are due to visit the country from 29 October to 3 November. | |
Leeds MP Greg Mulholland said it would be "monstrous" for Mr Hussain to be hanged during the Prince's visit. | |
'State murder' | |
He has written an urgent letter to the Prince asking him not to go ahead with the visit unless the execution is cancelled. | |
He said: "For this unjust execution to go ahead anyway would be bad enough, but to do this when Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, is visiting the country would be monstrous. | |
"I would urge His Royal Highness to cancel his visit if this terrible miscarriage of justice, the state murder of a man from Leeds, is scheduled to go ahead at that time. | |
"Cancelling the visit will send a clear and powerful message to the Pakistani authorities." | |
Mr Hussain's case has won the backing of UK and Euro MPs and Amnesty International, who have all urged Pakistan President Musharraf to quash the penalty. | |
'Self-defence' | |
Respect Party MP George Galloway had planned to fly to Pakistan on Monday to appeal directly to the president to quash the penalty, but cancelled the trip at the request of Mr Hussain's family. | |
A spokesman for Mr Galloway said the MP continued to "support every effort that the family is making" and was still prepared to travel to the country "should it be felt all round that it would advance things". | |
Mr Hussain has always claimed he was acting in self-defence, saying the taxi driver tried to sexually assault him. | Mr Hussain has always claimed he was acting in self-defence, saying the taxi driver tried to sexually assault him. |
His conviction was overturned in Pakistan's High Court, but he was later retried by an Islamic court, which sentenced him to death. | His conviction was overturned in Pakistan's High Court, but he was later retried by an Islamic court, which sentenced him to death. |
The decision on his fate follows three stays of execution ordered by President Musharraf. | The decision on his fate follows three stays of execution ordered by President Musharraf. |