Over 300 Pakistani, Taliban prisoners released
(12 Sep 2004) SHOTLIST 1. Various of Pakistani prisoners walking through the main gates of Kabul Central Prison 2. Various of the prisoners walking away from prison 3. Pakistani prisoners seated awaiting the official handover from Afghan officials to Pakistani officials 4. Various of prisoners seated listening to speaker 5. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Pakistani Prisoner, Zohorullah: "The Ulama (religious leaders) announced that Americans are bombing and assaulting Afghan people. We came here (to Afghanistan) to help our Afghan friends. I was arrested in Mazar and I was about two and a half years at the Shiberghan Prison." 6. Various of prisoners walking with their few belongings 7. Prisoners queuing to get onto bus 8. Various of prisoners getting on to bus 9. Prisoner on bus 10. Pakistani official from embassy in Afghanistan Zafar Ali Khan with press 11. SOUNDITE: Pakistani official from embassy in Afghanistan Zafar Ali Khan (English) "Mr Karzai (Afghani President) went to Pakistan recently, so there was an agreement between the President of Pakistan and the President of Afghanistan, that these prisoners, these Pakistani prisoners would be released, and there were some 250 Afghan prisoners in Pakistan who are to be released." 12. Shot of security tower 13. Two Afghan police on the tower 14. Set up shots of General Abdul Salam Bakhshi, an Afghan official 15. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) General Abdul Salam Bakhshi, an Afghan official: "We released these Pakistani prisoners according to our foreign policy, we want to have good relations with all countries, especially with our neighbours, like Pakistan. These prisoners were prisoners of war." 13. Convoy of Pakistani prisoners in buses outside prison walls STORYLINE Hundreds of Pakistanis jailed for fighting with the Taliban were released from an Afghan prison on Sunday, a big gesture meant to heal the Asian neighbours tetchy relations. Pakistani officials met the 363 prisoners as they filed out of the Afghan capital's daunting Pul-e-Charki jail, smiling and clutching plastic bags containing a few belongings. Thousands of Taliban fighters were captured by Afghan factions who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime and scatter its al-Qaida allies after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Some are believed to have ended up in mass graves in northern deserts, but many more have languished in crumbling Afghan jails waiting for politicians to decide their fate. The prisoners gathered in a big tent across the road from the prison, listening to speeches from Afghan officials before boarding a dozen buses for the bumpy trip to the Pakistani border. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
