Pakistani Taliban have denied claims that their chief Hakimullah Mehsud contacted an ex- lawmaker of Pakistan for seeking release of 50 militants being held in various prisons of the country, Dawn News reported Thursday.
The denial came following a claim by Javed Ibrahim Paracha, a former member of the National Assembly, that the chief of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had telephoned him and named 50 Taliban prisoners for their release.
Inmates belonging to banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sipah-i-Sahaba - a former proscribed sectarian militant group - and the TTP were included in the list.
Paracha, who later visited Adiala Jail and met Taliban prisoners, told media that a procedure for the militants' release was under consideration.
Both the government and the Taliban, said sources, were currently engaged in expediting the potential peace negotiations.
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