Islamabad: Afghanistan on November 26 freed 87 Pakistanis prisoners who allegedly fought for the deposed Taleban regime, but they were detained for questioning by Pakistani authorities when they entered the country.

"We have freed these Pakistanis in view of the growing good ties with Pakistan," an Afghan diplomat said in Islamabad.

"Majority of the freed Pakistanis were Taleban supporters," he said.

The prisoners, released under a deal negotiated by the UAE and supervised by the International Committee of the Red Cross, were handed over to the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and driven in buses to Torkham on the Pak-Afghan border, the officials said.

After they crossed the border, they were taken into custody by Pakistani authorities.

A Pakistani official said they would be questioned about their alleged ties with the Taleban. "They have also violated law by illegally crossing into Afghanistan," he said.

The process of their release may take several weeks. Prisoners who had been released by Afghanistan earlier had also been detained when they entered the country.

This is the second group of Pakistani prisoners freed by Afghanistan this month and the largest yet. So far, 400 prisoners have been released.

Several thousand Pakistanis crossed into Afghanistan last year to help Taleban against the American-led attack on Afghanistan. They were detained by the Northern Alliance after the fall of the Taleban.

PTI