IRNA, May 30, 2008

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s spokesman and son-in-law freed in Kabul

He was taken for meetings with President Karzai

Pakistan- Hizb-i-Islami: Afghan authorities have freed an aide to former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbaddin Hikmatyar, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2002, in an apparent move of reconciliation, Afghan sources said Friday.

RAWA: Ghairat Baheer, an infamous terrorist of Islamic Party of Gulbuddin was freed by Afghan government in a move for reconciliation with all enemies of Afghan people.

Dr. Ghairat was arrested on October 29 from his residence in Islamabad after he was accused by the United States of trying to destabilize the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai.

Ghairat Baheer, also son-in-law of Hekmatyar, was kept in detention by Pakistan for two years and was later handed over to the Afghan authorities, Hizb-e-Islami sources said.

Northern Alliance leader Qasim Fahim had kept him in detention for one year in Panjshir who later handed over him to American forces. He had been in the American detention center at Bagram air base.

He was shifted to the infamous Pul-i-Charkhi prison last week and was freed last night, the Hizb spokesman said.

He was taken for meetings with President Karzai and head of Afghanistan's Reconciliation Commission Sibghatullah Mujaddadi, he said.

"Baheer was asked if he wanted to stay in Afghanistan or go outside," the spokesman said.

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