A Pakistani surgeon who helped the US Central Intelligence Agency in its search for Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in jail for treason.

Shakil Afridi was found guilty by the tribal justice system in the Khyber district under regulations dating back to the era of British rule. The Frontier Crimes Regulations under which he was charged cover offences against the state, conspiracy, or attempts to wage war against the state, and on charges of working against the country’s sovereignty. Had he been tried under Pakistani national law, a guilty verdict would have carried the death penalty.

Afridi, 48, the former surgeon-general in Khyber, had assisted the CIA in its search …