According to Sabir Shahir, Ehsanullah Ehsan did not 'escape', but he was released as a result of an agreement between him and the government. He added that after the negotiation between US officials and Taliban, the US released a number of Afghan Taliban, and the act was reciprocated by the Taliban who released Afghan and American prisoners.
Last week, an audio clip of a man claiming to be Ehsanullah Ehsan started doing the rounds on social media after it was shared by a New York Times journalist Tipu Mehsud. In the audio, the man claiming to be the former TTP chief said he had escaped from the custody of Pakistani institutions ‘with Allah’s help’.