The government has freed at least 16 Pakistani Taliban prisoners with the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a move designed to invigorate a shaky peace process with the militant group.
The Pakistani Taliban called a one-month ceasefire on March 1 but said this week they would not extend the truce because the government was not serious about meeting their demands.
The demands include releasing 800 prisoners the insurgent group describes as innocent family members and withdrawing the army from parts of the semi-autonomous tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
So far there has been no reaction from the TTP regarding the releases.