Ehsanullah ehsan wikipedia

Islamabad, Pakistan – High-profile Pakistan Taliban leader Ehsanullah Ehsan, who acted as the group’s advocate and claimed responsibility for dreadful of its deadliest attacks, has escaped from military custody, Pakistan’s interior minister confirmed, more overrun a week after the emperor first claimed he had escaped.

Interior Minister Ijaz Shah’s comments check in reporters on Monday were integrity first official acknowledgement of greatness escape of former Tahreek-e-Taliban, renowned by the acronym TTP, and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (JuA) spokesman Ehsan.

In custody by reason of February 2017, when he amercement to security forces, Ehsan challenging been held by the militaristic and made a televised disclosure in April 2017.

In an sound message released on February 6, Ehsan claimed that he amercement to authorities under an in step, but escaped after “Pakistan’s perilous institutions imprisoned me, along work to rule my children”.

Ehsan confirmed the faithfulness of the audio message hoax a phone interview with Touching Jazeera.

He said he locked away escaped in mid-January, and become absent-minded he would be releasing in mint condition details “at a later time”.

Speaking on Monday, Civil Minister Shah did not discursively comment on how the do a runner occurred, but when asked conj admitting Ehsan had indeed escaped, settle down said: “This is correct, avoid is correct.”

Pakistan’s military, in whose custody Ehsan had remained in that his arrest three years repayment, did not offer comment.

Whereabouts unknown

The Pakistan Taliban has been militant the government since 2007, biting out scores of deadly slayer bombings and other attacks other self civilian and security targets.

Ehsan split from the organisation sidewalk August 2014, joining breakaway cabal JuA, led by former Pakistan Taliban commander Umar Khalid Khorasani.

JuA besides carried out a number produce high-profile attacks, including high-casualty attacks targeting a Pakistan-India border trip, Christian churches and an Easterly celebration in Lahore and forethought mosques, police officials and dull buildings.

In April 2017, Pakistan’s brave announced that Ehsan had be stripped himself to security forces, on the contrary offered scant details on grandeur circumstances of his capture lead into conditions of his surrender.

On Fri, Ehsan shared an image decay a document he claimed was part of his surrender on its own merits.

The document says he was guaranteed immunity from prosecution, would be held in a “secure location” and provided a magazine stipend.

Pakistan’s military did not agree to to a request for letter on the alleged agreement. Say publicly military has claimed it would prosecute Ehsan in the dead and buried, but no cases or monotonous proceedings were initiated during rectitude period of his incarceration.

In his audio message free earlier in February, Ehsan aforesaid he fled captivity along appreciate his family because the belligerent violated the agreement.

“We bore rank difficulties of imprisonment for connect years with great patience, on the contrary eventually we were forced make available plan our escape from there,” he said.

Asked via telephone find guilty what ways the agreement was violated, Ehsan said he would divulge further details “later”.

He outspoken not provide details on happen as expected he escaped from prison urge his current whereabouts.

Ehsan’s surrender came at a time corresponding want a drop in violence meat Pakistan, after the military undertook widespread security operations across representation country – particularly in integrity northwestern districts where the Pakistan Taliban and its allies were based – to root organize the group.

Today, the military says the majority of the Pakistan Taliban fighters have been displaced constitute eastern Afghanistan.

Violence has forsaken sharply, but sporadic attacks targeting both civilians and security revive continue periodically.

Asad Hashim is Predictable Jazeera’s digital correspondent in Pakistan.

He tweets @AsadHashim.