ISLAMABAD, July 9: The Government of Pakistan is sending an official delegation to Kabul in the mid of this month in order to secure release of Pakistani prisoners languishing in Afghan jails.

Interior Ministry’s Additional Secretary Ch Qamar Zaman, who would be heading the delegation, told Dawn on Sunday that the delegation would leave for Kabul any time after July 17.

He said prior to the visit, the Foreign Office would give him a detailed briefing on the Pakistani prisoners in Afghanistan. He said since the government was not aware of the exact number of Pakistanis jailed in Afghanistan, the delegation would obtain complete information in this regard. Over a thousand Pakistanis are believed to be languishing in Afghan jails; and as confirmed by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao recently, some had been shifted from there to the US-controlled Gauntanamo Bay. Many innocent Pakistanis had been jailed by the Afghan authorities during the US-Afghanistan war. Two years ago, the Afghan government had released about 100 Pakistani prisoners on reciprocal basis.