PESHAWAR- A British journalist of Indian origin Amerdeep Bassey boarded a Dubai-bound flight at 1:30am on Friday after remaining in the custody of the political administration of Khyber Agency and intelligence agencies for 27 days.

The 29-year-old reporter of the Birmingham-based Sunday Mercury was arrested on the charge of violating passport laws when he entered the Pakistan territory from Afghanistan on May 10, along with his two tribal guides.

Amerdeep Bassey was brought to Peshawar airport at 10:30 p.m on Thursday night by special branch personnel after being released from the custody of Khyber Agency political administration on the orders interior ministry.

He remained in the custody of police personnel till he boarded the PIA flight to Dubai, from where he would get the Brunei Airline flight to London. Amerdeep Bassey, who belongs to a Sikh family, was twice interrogated by a Joint Investigation Team on the suspicion of working for some Indian intelligence agencies. Later, he was exonerated from the charges after no clue to his links with Indian secret agencies was found.

His two tribal guides, Naushad Khan Afridi and Khitab Shah Shinwari, are still in the custody of the political administration of Khyber Agency.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/8/2002