Islamabad: Pakistan's security agencies have released three top leaders of banned militant outfits after interrogating them in connection with the recent suicide bomb attacks on President Pervez Musharraf.

The three include Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri, the head of the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, Abul Rauf, the younger brother of Jaish-e-Muhammad leader and Haji Abdul Jabbar, leader of the Jamat ul Faquan, a local daily reported.

There was however, no official confirmation about their release.

The daily quoted leaders of the Muthahida Jihad Council (MJC), a conglomerate of militant groups as saying Kashmiri, the Harkat-ul leader was released yesterday (Feb 21, 2004) after a month-long detention for suspected links with the suicide attackers, who made a vain bid to assassinate Musharraf on December 25 at Rawalpindi by ramming their vehicles into his convoy.

His release followed after MJC leader Syed Salahiddin met with Musharraf and other top officials, 'Daily Times' newspaper said.

Also released were Rauf, one of the brothers of Azhar and Jabbar, who formed the rival organisation Jamat-ul-Furqan, the paper said.

Azhar's outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad along with Harkat-ul was banned in 2002. Later Azhar formed Khuddamul, which was banned last year along with Fuquan.