PESHAWAR, Aug 21: A batch of 15 Pakistani prisoners released from the notorious Pul-i-Charkhi jail in Afghanistan arrived at the Torkham border checkpoint on Saturday night.

Officials said that all the prisoners, who were in the age-group of 25 to 35, looked healthy.

They have been taken to lock-ups in Landi Kotal and Jamrud in the Khyber Agency.

Five prisoners were put in a lock-up at Landi Kotal and 10 in that of Jamrud tehsil.

An official said they would remain in custody unless their debriefing was completed by secret agencies.

The Afghan government had released the prisoners and handed them over to the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on Saturday from where they were transported to Torkham by road.

Sources said these prisoners had been languishing in the jail for four years. They had crossed over to Afghanistan in October 2001, to fight alongside the Taliban against the US-led forces.

The names of prisoners are Osama Yaser (Haripur), Mohammad Shah (Lower Dir), Gul Taj (Karachi), Shehzad (Khaniwal), Abdul Waheed (Nowshero Feroz), Mohammad Yaseen (Korangi, Karachi), Fazl Alahi (Swat), Shahzada (Lower Dir), Habib Khan (Swat), Mohammad Ashraf (Mandi Bahauddin), Saifur Rehman (Islamabad), Mohammad Ismail (Dir Lower), Bakht Zameen (Dir Lower), Shah Wali (Behreen, (Swat) and Mohammad Abdullah (Sagodha).

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