KATHMANDU - Eight Nepali political leaders who were detained last month after King Gyanendra seized power and declared a state of emergency have been released, an official said on Thursday. Their release comes days after Nepal's Foreign Minister, Ramesh Nath Pandey, held talks with his Indian counterpart and assured New Delhi that the king planned to revoke some of the tough emergency measures he has imposed.Among those freed was Prakash Sharan Mahat, a junior foreign minister in the government sacked by Gyanendra on Feb. 1, said Baman Prasad Neupane, Kathmandu's district administrator. "We released about eight people yesterday (Wednesday)," Neupane told Reuters.
Party officials said key leaders remained under house arrest and hundreds of others were in detention. Government officials have not given numbers of those in custody and Neupane did not say if more prisoners would be released. About two-dozen people detained after the king suspended civil liberties have been freed so far.