May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 17: Authorities have claimed that the Pakistani ambassador to Kabul was freed as a result of an ‘action’ taken by security forces in South Waziristan.

The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior, Rehman Malik, claimed on Saturday that Tariq Azizuddin was freed as a result of a crackdown by security forces in South Waziristan four weeks ago, but not under any deal with the militants. However, he refused to give details of the operation.

“We will provide details to media later,” he said while taking to newsmen at the residence of the freed envoy.

Touching scenes were seen when the envoy was reunited with his family after 97 days of captivity. Many of his relatives reached his residence to greet him.

His driver and security guard were also freed and sent to their homes. They were not seen with the envoy when Mr Azizuddin reached his residence.

In reply to a question, the envoy said he had been freed due to an action by security forces. He, however, said he had not heard any sound of firing and fighting before his release.

Mr Malik claimed that security forces had got cleared the main road in South Waziristan in an operation four weeks ago and tightened the noose around the militants, forcing them to free the kidnapped envoy.

The adviser claimed that the government had not released any arrested militant or militant leader to secure the release of Mr Azizuddin.

Dwelling on his days of captivity, the envoy said he had been given proper food and bed by militants and was not tortured.

“They only hit my head with guns when they kidnapped me but later they did not harm me,” he said.

Mr Azizuddin said that he had repeated word for word what he had been ordered to say by militants in a video clip shown by a private TV channel last month.