KABUL, Aug 18: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the gradual release of some prisoner’s of war (PoW’s) — most of them Pakistani nationals held in Afghan jails since the country ousted the Taliban and Al Qaeda last October — as a goodwill gesture ahead of a “possible” visit from the Pakistan Foreign Minister, it was announced on Sunday.

Details of the “possible” visit were not made known.

National Director of Security Amarullah Salih made the announcement during a press conference where he warned that other Pakistani PoW’s who had been released last year as a goodwill gesture by the newly formed Afghan government were now plotting more attacks against the country.

Salih did not elaborate on his claims, but he has repeatedly said that Taliban and Al Qaeda forces are planning terrorist attacks in the country and on the capital.

Salih said the PoW’s were receiving regular visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and said none of the prisoners had been tortured.

“We are not using torture to extract information from the prisoners, that makes the interrogation process lengthy and difficult,” Salih said.

Those prisoners to be released would go through a “re-screening” process to determine if they no longer pose a threat to Afghanistan or their own country.

“They say they joined the Taliban or Al Qaeda because their cause is just. You expect them to regret what they did when they know they will be released,” Salih said. “But they don’t regret it.”

Salih said a “few hundred foreign PoW’s” had been brought to Kabul from jails around the country, but that none had been released yet.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah made a similar announcement a week ago, but so far no time schedule or details have been given regarding the prisoners release.

Most of the PoW’s have been in jail since the ouster of the Taliban by US forces and the Afghan Northern Alliance last October after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.—dpa