Pakistan frees British national

Mr Ahmed was detained in August, 2006

A British national held in detention in Pakistan without charge for more than a year has been released.

Rengzeib Ahmed says he was tortured during his detention by Pakistani security officials, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

British diplomats in Islamabad had said they had been unable to intervene in the case because they could not verify if he was also a Pakistani national.

Mr Ahmed flew out of Islamabad to London on Friday.

'Access denied'

A spokesman at the British High Commission said he was "very concerned" about any reports of torture.

The spokesman said that the Pakistani authorities had confirmed only on 16 July of this year that Mr Ahmed was not a Pakistani national.

Even then, the spokesman said the Pakistani authorities had denied British diplomats access to Mr Ahmed.

His family have always insisted that he only held a UK passport.

Human Rights Watch says that Mr Ahmed was detained in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province in August, 2006, as a suspected militant.

He was later transferred to the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.

Mr Ahmed says he was also questioned by US and British officials during his detention, HRW says.

The British High Commission said it could not comment on intelligence matters.

Mr Ahmed was held under the Security of Pakistan Act, which allows the indefinite detention of suspects deemed to be a national security threat.

A panel of judges, including two Supreme Court justices, ordered his release on 31 August.

Mr Ahmed's brother, Mohammad Pervez, told the BBC that he had previously been imprisoned in India for crossing into the country illegally.

Earlier this year the brother told the BBC that he was very concerned about Rengzeib's health in jail.