The news that former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has escaped from the custody of Pakistan security agencies is true, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah confirmed on Monday.
Responding to a question during an informal conversation with reporters at the parliament in Islamabad, the minister said he had read reports of the former TTP leader having fled. When asked whether the reports were true, he replied: “The news is true, it’s true’. The minister added that the “state is aware” of his escape. He did not provide any details.
What’s the story behind Ehsanullah’s mysterious escape?
Mystery surrounds the circumstances of the escape of Ehsan, who had surrendered himself to a Pakistani security agency under an agreement some three years ago, with sources saying that he fled during one of the operations to capture and target terrorists. In a short audio message, Ehsan had disclosed that on January 11, 2020, he had managed to escape from the “custody of the Pakistani security authorities”. He had claimed that he faced hardships during his custody and circumstances compelled him to plan his escape.
He did not provide details of his escape but had said that he would release “terms of the agreement” he had entered into with Pakistani authorities, the “approving authority” and “the individual who had furnished assurances” with regard to its implementation.