LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday to intervene again to halt the hanging of a British national, scheduled during an upcoming royal visit.
Blair warned of "very serious" consequences if the execution of Mirza Tahir Hussain were to go ahead on November 1, coinciding with a planned visit by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
"I hope even at this stage that there is an intervention to ensure this does not take place. I think it would be very serious if it does," Blair said, when asked about the case in the House of Commons.
He noted that he had made a personal representation over the case to Musharraf during a recent visit to London by the Pakistani leader.
"There is a limit to what the president can do, but I hope that he can use the powers that he has," said Blair, adding: "We will continue to make representations right up to the last moment."
Hussain, 36, from Leeds in northern England, has spent half his life in a Pakistani jail fighting a death sentence for killing a taxi driver.
The decision on his fate follows three previous stays of execution ordered by Musharraf and comes despite a vocal campaign by Hussain's family to save his life.
Britain's heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife are due to visit Pakistan amid high security from October 29 to November 3. They are scheduled to meet with Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
