Pakistan editor safe after kidnap

Haroon Rashid
BBC News, Peshawar

Sohail Qalander narrates his ordeal to fellow journalists

A journalist and his companion who were kidnapped in Pakistan's North Western Frontier Province have managed to escape after 50 days in captivity.

Sohail Qalander, local editor of the Urdu daily Express, went missing in the Hayatabad area of the provincial capital, Peshawar, on 2 January.

It is not clear who Mr Qalander's abductors were.

Pakistan has become one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the US-led "war on terror" began.

At least two were killed and more than a dozen kidnapped during 2006.

'Torture'

Appearing very tired and thin, Qalander told journalists at the Peshawar press club that he and his friend, Niaz Ali, were kept somewhere in the tribal areas on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

We were kept in handcuffs and chains. They would give us injections Sohail Qalander

He said that he was kept tied up most of the time, and that the kidnappers subjected him to both mental and physical torture.

Mr Qalander says that he was not even allowed to pray, and when he tried the captors turned on loud music.

"We were kept in handcuffs and chains. They would give us injections that made us unconscious, and made it difficult to separate night from day."

"They showed no restraint when torturing us."

When questioned as to what his captors wanted, Mr Qalander replied that it was a variety of things. Some of these were connected to his profession.

"But, with Allah's help, and support from friends and family , we did not accept any of their demands."

He says that they managed to escape after a gun battle took place where they were being held on Tuesday night.

Both the men took refuge in a nearby house, and reached Peshawar on Wednesday.

Pashto speakers

Mr Qalander says that he did not see the faces of any of his captors and would not be able to recognise them if he saw them again. The only thing that he is sure about is that all of them spoke Pashto.

The BBC's Dilawar Khan was kidnapped briefly last year

The shaken journalist expressed his gratitude to human rights organisations and journalists for campaigning for his release. He also thanked the government.

After he was kidnapped, journalist groups all over the country held protests to press for his release.

The primary suspect, according to the protesters, was the government itself which is accused of using such tactics to keep "errant" journalists in line.

In 2006, Dilawar Khan, a local BBC correspondent in Waziristan, was kidnapped from Islamabad.

He was released after being kept in custody for 24 hours and interrogated.

His captors have yet to be identified.