TORKHAM, Nov 10: The Taliban militia on Saturday released a Pakistani journalist, Irfan Qureshi, who had been held for one month after being detained with a French journalist in Afghanistan, witnesses said.

Qureshi crossed into Pakistan at the Torkham border crossing in North West Frontier Province and was immediately detained by the Pakistani authorities for having sneaked into Afghanistan illegally a month ago.

Qureshi and another Pakistani journalist, Mukarram Khan, had been picked up by the Taliban on Oct 9 along with French journalist Michel Peyrard who was released on Nov 3.

Mr Khan remains in Taliban custody. “I’m happy to be back in my own country,” Mr Qureshi said, adding that he had been well treated by his Taliban captors.

A local official said Qureshi had been taken into custody on his return for having violated the Frontier Crime Regulation.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders watchdog group condemned the arrest and asked the federal interior ministry to intervene.—AFP