Quetta, Dec 20: Pakistan today released 29 Afghans from prison and handed them over to Afghan authorities, officials said.
The prisoners were mainly men between the ages of 25 and 30 and had been jailed for minor offences.
They were escorted from jails in Karachi to the border at the town of Chaman, where they were released to afghan authorities, officials said.
"It was a goodwill gesture on the part of the government of Pakistan," captain Aftab Ahmad of the border force told a news agency.
"Both countries have been releasing their citizens in efforts to further improve brotherly relations."

The status of prisoners has emerged as a sensitive political issue between the neighbours, particularly Pakistanis held in Afghanistan.

Thousands of Pakistanis flooded into Afghanistan to join the Taliban, formerly backed by Islamabad, as a US-led coalition started military strikes against the regime following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the united states.


Pakistan estimates that some 2,000 of its citizens were arrested for allegedly fighting alongside the Taliban and that around 1,000 still languish in Afghan jails.

More than 6,000 afghan prisoners remain in Pakistani jails, mainly for minor offences, officials have said. Some 1.5 million Afghan refugees are believed to be currently living in Pakistan.

Bureau Report