By Frances Harrison BBC correspondent in Islamabad

The Pakistani authorities say DNA tests have confirmed that the body they found in May in a shallow grave in Karachi is indeed that of the kidnapped American journalist Daniel Pearl.

Samples were sent to the United States for comparing with Mr Pearl's relatives and the results were returned to Pakistan on Tuesday for final confirmation by laboratories there.

Mr Pearl's body was found several months after he was killed

It is not clear when the remains might be released to the family for burial.

Daniel Pearl who worked for the Asian Wall Street Journal was kidnapped in January.

Those who held him demanded better treatment for the al-Qaeda and Taleban prisoners being detained by the Americans in Cuba.

Conviction strengthened

Appeals for mercy from Mr Pearl's heavily pregnant wife fell on deaf ears and a month later a gruesome videotape was released depicting Mr Pearl's murder.

Although four men went on trial in April accused of the kidnapping, it wasn't until May that a mutilated and badly decomposed body was found, thought to be Mr Pearl's.

Earlier this month a special anti-terrorism court found four men guilty of the kidnapping and murder, principle among them Omar Sheikh, a British-born militant.

Omar Sheikh was sentenced to death but has launched an appeal.

At the time of the trial his lawyers complained that one of the weaknesses of the case against him was the absence of a body, something unusual in a murder case.

Now that the body of Daniel Pearl has finally been identified, that should help strengthen the case against the men convicted of killing him.