Pak releases 19 non-combatant Taliban prisoners

Pakistan government has released 19 Taliban non-combatants picked up by security forces on grounds of suspicion and intelligence inputs.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has handed over to the government a list of over 300 non-combatants who they want released from custody.
The 19 Taliban non-combatants have been released by the government over the last two weeks, Interior Ministry sources said today.
The released persons belonged to the Mehsud tribe.
The first batch of prisoners was released on March 21, sources said.
The prisoners were those who were picked by security forces on the grounds of suspicion and intelligence inputs.

"It is the policy of the government and security forces to release those whose innocence was proved following interrogation," a source said.

The Taliban has claimed these non-combatants include women and children and have demanded their release as part of the peace dialogue with the government.
Earlier today, conflicting reports were being circulated with the Prime Minister's office denying that the released prisoners were from the Taliban.
"It is clarified that the release of some prisoners involved in petty crimes by the Political Administration has been wrongly connoted as release of Taliban prisoners," the statement said.
The Prime Minister's office also denied a media report which said Taliban prisoners have been released on instructions of Nawaz Sharif.
No instructions have been given from the Prime Minister in this regard, the statement said.