FCR commissioner reduces Dr Shakil Afridi's sentence by 10 years
His sentence was reduced to 22 years and the fine was also reduced from Rs320,000 to Rs220,000.
Express News screengrab of Dr Shakil Afridi.
PESHAWAR:
The Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) Commissioner Captain (retd) Munir Azam announced his decision to reduce Dr Shakil Aridi's sentence by 10 years, Express News reported Saturday.
Shakil was convicted of treason by the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) tribunal for alleged ties to militants and jailed for 33 years in May 2012 and asked to pay a fine of Rs320,000.
Authorities set aside the sentence in August last year on appeal and ordered a retrial, but now a tribunal has agreed to cut a decade off his jail term.
"The tribunal has reduced the 33-year imprisonment to 23 years and also reduced the fine of 320,000 rupees to 220,000 rupees," defence lawyer Samiullah Afridi told AFP.
Samiullah said that he would appeal against the decision as he wanted to have a new trial, as stipulated by the authorities last August.
"We will appeal against this decision, because it is unjust," Samiullah said.
Jamil Afridi, the brother of the jailed doctor added: "We wanted to have a fresh trial, but the court just ruled on one point and reduced the sentence by 10 years. We will file an appeal against this decision."
Lawyers for the doctor had challenged the August ruling, made by the commissioner of the northwestern city of Peshawar, in the FATA Tribunal.
Shakil was arrested after US troops killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in May 2011 in the northwestern town of Abbottabad.
Islamabad branded the raid a violation of sovereignty and US relations fell to an all-time low.
Shakil had been recruited by the CIA to run a vaccination programme in Abbottabad in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to identify Osmam bin Laden, although medics never managed to gain access to the family.
He was convicted not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it had no jurisdiction - but for alleged ties to militants.
In November, authorities unexpectedly charged Afridi with murder and fraud over the death of a patient some six years earlier.
The Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) Commissioner Captain (retd) Munir Azam announced his decision to reduce Dr Shakil Aridi's sentence by 10 years, Express News reported Saturday.
Shakil was convicted of treason by the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) tribunal for alleged ties to militants and jailed for 33 years in May 2012 and asked to pay a fine of Rs320,000.
Authorities set aside the sentence in August last year on appeal and ordered a retrial, but now a tribunal has agreed to cut a decade off his jail term.
"The tribunal has reduced the 33-year imprisonment to 23 years and also reduced the fine of 320,000 rupees to 220,000 rupees," defence lawyer Samiullah Afridi told AFP.
Samiullah said that he would appeal against the decision as he wanted to have a new trial, as stipulated by the authorities last August.
"We will appeal against this decision, because it is unjust," Samiullah said.
Jamil Afridi, the brother of the jailed doctor added: "We wanted to have a fresh trial, but the court just ruled on one point and reduced the sentence by 10 years. We will file an appeal against this decision."
Lawyers for the doctor had challenged the August ruling, made by the commissioner of the northwestern city of Peshawar, in the FATA Tribunal.
Shakil was arrested after US troops killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in May 2011 in the northwestern town of Abbottabad.
Islamabad branded the raid a violation of sovereignty and US relations fell to an all-time low.
Shakil had been recruited by the CIA to run a vaccination programme in Abbottabad in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to identify Osmam bin Laden, although medics never managed to gain access to the family.
He was convicted not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it had no jurisdiction - but for alleged ties to militants.
In November, authorities unexpectedly charged Afridi with murder and fraud over the death of a patient some six years earlier.