Unknown Fate Awaits Former Taliban Spokesman

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
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Unknown Fate Awaits Former Taliban Spokesman

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat

The fate of former Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan remains unclear in light of the Peshawar High Court’s decision which prohibited the government from releasing him under any circumstances.

Ehsan remains detained by Pakistani security services. According to government officials, he is undergoing extensive interrogation.

It is worth noting that the Pakistani government sought in 2014 to grant him general amnesty, after he admitted in a clip that the Pakistani Taliban had carried out terrorist operations inside Pakistani cities commissioned by Indian intelligence.

Immediately after local press reported the Pakistani government's intention to release Ehsan, the parents of students who died in the bombing of an army school in Peshawar petitioned the Supreme Court in Peshawar, demanding the court to compel the government not to release him under any circumstances.

In response to the petition, the Supreme Court ordered the government not to release Ehsan.

Subsequently, Pakistani Interior Minister Muhammad Tallal Badar Chaudhary told his country's Senate that Ehsan would appear before the military court.

The statement by the Pakistani Interior Minister was made in response to rising concerns by Senate members on the possibility of Ehsan’s release under a deal between him and Pakistani security services.

The Interior Minister added that these fears were unfounded because “security services did not intend to pardon him from the start.”



Ground Stops Lift at Ottawa, Montreal Airports over Bomb Threats

The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
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Ground Stops Lift at Ottawa, Montreal Airports over Bomb Threats

The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo

Ground stops were lifted at international airports in Ottawa and Montreal after a bomb threat on Thursday briefly halted departing flights, a US Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said.

The Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport said on X that it was investigating a security incident and warned that operations may be disrupted, urging travelers to check their flight status, Reuters reported.

Air traffic control manager NAV Canada said in a statement that it was made aware of bomb threats affecting several of its facilities.

It said employees at affected locations were safely evacuated and that travelers may face delays.

The Ottawa Police Service also said on X that it was investigating a security incident at the Ottawa airport.