Pakistan Tuesday said it has arrested chief Taliban spokesman Mufti Lateefullah Hakimi from the country's southwestern Balochistan province. "Abdul Latif Hakimi has been arrested in Pakistan from Balochistan today," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told private and state-run television channels, adding several other people were also arrested.

"Our security agencies will interrogate him and a decision will be made later whether or not he should be handed over to Afghanistan," Rashid said. "Our security agencies and armed forces had been searching him since long and ultimately they succeeded in their mission," he said.

Rashid said Hakimi was head of Taliban Information Cell and his information would be very useful for the future.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao also confirmed the arrest of Hakimi in Pakistan and said details about his arrest would be given later. Talking to private Geo television channel earlier Tuesday, Sherpao described Hakimi's arrest as an important one and a major success for law enforcement agencies.

Hakimi had been in contact with the world media since he was appointed Taliban spokesman some two years ago by Taliban leader Mulla Muhammad Omar.

Source: Xinhua