After four long years, the Vice Chancellor of Islamia University, Peshawar, Professor Ajmal Khan has been recovered from the captivity of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Khan is a close relative of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and had been a staunch supporter of the war against militancy. He was recovered from an area in North Waziristan, the main hub of terrorism in FATA. His return is the first welcome drop of rain in the saga of the kidnapees held by the terrorists. It could logically be considered one of the fruits of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which has disrupted the terrorists’ networks and will hopefully pave the way for all the other kidnapees to return home safe and sound. The confrontation currently taking place in Islamabad between Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri’s supporters on one side and the PML-N government on the other has distracted us from the war going on in North Waziristan at the moment. The military has been waging a major assault against Taliban strongholds in North Waziristan since mid-June. A statement from the Pakistan military said security forces safely recovered Professor Ajmal Khan but gave no details of how he came to be freed. In such situations, it is best that the details are kept under wraps so as not to endanger Khan and his family further, or to jeopardize the cases of other kidnapees still in captivity. Ajmal had appeared in several video messages asking the government to negotiate his release with the TTP, which began a bloody insurgency against the state in 2007. Government officials said despite many rounds of back channel talks in the past, the TTP had refused to release Khan, demanding the release of important Taliban commanders held by security forces. It is sad that with one cruel twist of fate, the lives of innocent civilians are entangled in this war. It also shows that the Taliban do not spare anyone, even those innocent or uninvolved. As the army moves to clean out Taliban militants from different areas, many groups have fled the scene — some to safe havens within Pakistan and some across the border. And one fact emerging loud and clear from Khan’s release is that the army operation has clearly weakened the militants’ ability to hold out. Their finances are squeezed, logistics degraded and operations at a standstill, which is making them desperate to negotiate. There are a number of other kidnapees being held by the Taliban at the moment — Shahbaz Taseer, Haider Gillani and scores of others — and perhaps this release can pave the way for their freedom as well. The ultimate hope is that Taliban safe havens — both physical and ideological — are eradicated entirely from Pakistan so innocent families are not subjected to this excruciating pain and suffering. *