Pakistani ambassador freed in Afghanistan
Saturday, 17 May 2008 11:18
Pakistani ambassador freed after being held hostage for three months
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Pakistani ambassador Tariq Azizussin has been freed by Taliban militants in south Waziristan, after being held hostage for three months.
The envoy, which had been travelling to Kabul, Afghanistan, was released after Pakistani authorities freed over 40 Taliban members over the last few days.
Mr Azizussin, aged 56, had been held by fighters with a strong alliance to the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud.
Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said: "I can confirm he is released and he is safe and sound."
Concern had grown for Mr Azizussin's safety after Taliban militants aired a video on an Arab satellite channel on April 19th, saying that they had kidnapped him.
He had disappeared just over a month before, along with his bodyguard and driver, on a trip between Peshawar, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mr Azizussin has been travelling back to Kabul, where since 2005 he had held the position of ambassador.
It remains uncertain how Pakistani authorities secured the ambassador's release and whether an exchange was offered.
Baitullah Mehsud has gained international notoriety over the past six after the US' CIA named him as the prime suspect in the assassination of ex-Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Although Mehsud has denied any involvement with her death, Bhutto's own party is seeking a UN investigation into the matter.