Pak court orders release of arrested French journalists

Islamabad, Jun 7 (ANI): Two French journalists held in northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar last month have been released by a court here, according to media reports.

The Special Branch Police arrested two French reporters, Francois Lino Candona of TF-1 TV and Christopher Phillips Beneyre, on May 28 for traveling to Peshawar without required documents and video filming in a sensitive area of the Peshawar Cantonment.

They were handed over to the West Cantonment Police Station the same day, Xinhua reports.

The lawyer engaged by the French authorities submitted a bail application on behalf of the two journalists to Additional Sessions Judge Aurangzeb Khattak.

One of the detained journalists had got Pakistani visa from New Delhi and had reached Pakistan a few days back, according to reports.

The two had also interviewed an officer of the bomb disposal unit at the office of Special Branch Police.

There were reports that the French reporters have not informed the authorities about their visit to Peshawar. (ANI)