. Shakil Afridi's sentence for membership of militant group reduced by 10 years after calls by Washington for his release
A court in Pakistan has reduced by 10 years the prison sentence handed down to a Pakistani doctor who helped the US track down the al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in a blow to his supporters who have been fighting for his release.
Shakil Afridi, hailed as a hero by US officials, was arrested after US soldiers killed Bin Laden in May 2011 in a raid in a northern Pakistani town.
Pakistan arrested Afridi and sentenced him to 33 years in jail for being a member of a militant group, a charge he denies.
On Saturday, a court in the city of Peshawar reduced his sentence to 23 years after repeated calls by the US and his legal team for his release.
"We will receive a complete court order on Monday and will then challenge it at the FATA tribunal," said Afridi's lawyer, Qamar Nadeem, referring to a higher court of Pakistan's semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Afridi has become a new irritant in the complex ties between Washington and Islamabad that have been deteriorating in recent years despite Pakistan's pivotal role to US interests in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and nuclear security.
The day after Afridi was sentenced, the US Senate expressed its anger by voting to dock Islamabad $33m (£20m) in aid – $1m for every year of the sentence.
Pakistan has accused the doctor of running a fake vaccination campaign in which he collected DNA samples to help the CIA track down Bin Laden.
Reuters in Peshawar
The Guardian
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