200 Taliban released

Published January 4, 2002

KABUL Jan 3: More than 200 Taliban prisoners were freed from their prison cells on Thursday on the orders of Afghanistan’s interim leader Hamid Karzai, a senior Defence Ministry official said.

“More than 200 Taliban prisoners were handed over to their relatives,” the personal secretary of Defence Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Gulbuddin said.

“We captured them on different fronts in the north of the country and also just to the north of Kabul.” Hamid Karzai has already promised to grant an amnesty to rank-and-file Taliban prisoners.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...