Taliban militants freed Pakistan's envoy to Afghanistan today, following the release of more than 40 of their own men by Pakistani authorities over the past few days, according to a senior security official.
Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin was released in South Waziristan, where he was being held by fighters loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
"I can confirm he is released, and he is safe and sound," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said.
Tariq Azizuddin, 56, went missing on February 11th along with his driver and a guard as he was travelling from the northwestern city of Peshawar to the Afghan-Pakistani border. He was on his way back to the Afghan capital, where he had been ambassador since 2005.
Azizuddin was freed after the release over the past three to four days of more than 40 Taliban fighters held captive by the authorities, though it is uncertain whether the ambassador was exchanged for an specific militant, according to a senior security officer.
The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the envoy was originally abducted by one of several kidnap gangs operating in and around the historic Khyber Pass, linking landlocked Afghanistan with Pakistan's northwest.
But he was subsequently passed on to the Pakistani Taliban, who moved him to South Waziristan, at south east end of the tribal belt, where he was held in the Mehsud tribal lands by men loyal to Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud.
Pakistan's new government, sworn in at the end of March, has begun a policy of engagement, negotiating through tribal leaders to persuade Mehsud to halt militant operations from the region.
The ambassador, who was released in South Waziristan, represented one of Mehsud's main bargaining chips and was the last remaining high value captive the Taliban held. A relative said Azizuddin was expected to return home to his family shortly.
The security official said he believed the ambassador's driver and guard had also been released.