Taliban in the troubled Swat valley Sunday freed a top government official after kidnapping him hostage for several hours, officials said. Khushal Khan, District Co-ordination Office, was heading to Swat when gunmen kidnapped him and his six guards from Qambar, a town two kilometers from Mingora, the main city of Swat.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan had said the official was 'not kidnapped' but was stopped 'as a guest' for a cup of tea. But many did not agree with the Taliban's statement as the official was held hostage for almost four hours. "We have allowed him to go after taking care of him as a guest," the Taliban spokesman said.
The incident happened despite a truce between the government and the militants.
The government in the North West Frontier Province and militants had announced ceasefire after an agreement was signed for the implementation of Islamic laws on Monday. The militants indicated that they could extend the 10-day ceasefire in Swat, about 150-km north-east of the regional capital Peshawar and with a population of 1.8 million.