Former Member of the National Assembly from Kohat, Javed Ibrahim Paracha, has claimed that he visited Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi to retrieve information of around 50 prisoners on a request by Hakimullah Mehsud, chief of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
However, both Hakimullah and TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid rejected the claim.
“After getting permission of government, I visited and met 50 prisoners listed out by Hamikullah Mehsud. All these prisoners, associated with banned TTP, Lashkar-e-Janghvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba, are alive,” Paracha told Pakistan Today.
Since 9/11 tragedy, especially after ejecting of al Qaeda and its affiliated militants from its hideouts in Afghanistan, Paracha is leading the International Prisoners Relief Commission and had helped hundreds of prisoners in getting release from Pakistani prisons. Beside al Qaeda’s Arab fugitives, the released prisoners included some from Central Asian Countries and even some of western states.
Paracha said after retrieving information’s and meeting TTP and other prisoners in Adyala, he established contacts with Hakimullah over telephone and informed him of the details.
To a question, Paracha said, “I did the job as chief of International Prisoner’s relief commission. So far there are no contacts made with Hakimullah on part of the government.” He said after collecting details of 50 prisoners, he himself constituted a penal of lawyers, included Qazi Mohammad Anwar and Fida Gul, from Peshawar for filing suits and petitions for release of these prisoners.
Paracha said, “For restoration of peace, for the better future of country and for the better future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I am willing to play role of mediator between government and banned TTP.”
He said he believed that the matter could easily be resolved through peaceful and political means.