Karachi- The jail authorities today have informed the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) about the government’s instructions, to halt death row convict Shafqat Hussain’s execution until at least 30 days.

In a formal letter to jail authorities, the interior ministry asserted ‘underage’ convict Shafqat Hussain’s execution has been halted for 30 days. The implementation of Shafqat Hussain’s execution has been postponed for 30 days, jail authorities apprised ATC III on Tuesday.

Shafqat, who was due to be hanged on the morning of March 19, was given a reprieve just hours before the marked time after a campaign by his lawyers and members of the civil society pointed out the possibility of a mistrial.

The reprieve came after Shafqat’s family presented his birth certificate to media and insisted he was 14 years old when he was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court for kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old who went missing from the apartments where the convict worked. Later on, the government postponed the punishment by at least 30 days as the 72-hour deadline expired today.