A Pakistani doctor who was jailed after helping the CIA hunt down Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden faces fresh legal hurdles to his appeal because the tribunal that was hearing his appeal has been dissolved.
Shakeel Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison in May 2012 after he was convicted by a Pakistani tribal court of having ties to militants.
A year later, a tribunal reduced his sentence by 10 years.
But his appeal has faced numerous delays and postponements, and some U.S. lawmakers say his imprisonment is revenge for helping the United States track down the Al-Qaeda chief.
On March 5, an outgoing member of the tribal court hearing Afridi's appeal confirmed that the tribunal was no longer functioning because contracts for its members and chairman expired in January.
No replacements have been hired and no plans have been made to renew the contracts.
It remains unclear when the next hearing in Afridi's appeal will take place.
Based on reporting by Dawn and AFP
