Amardeep Bassey, the Sunday Mercury journalist being held in Pakistan, is still waiting to be deported despite his release being rubber-stamped by the Interior Ministry in Islamabad.

It had been hoped that Amardeep (pictured) would be released without charge by Tuesday, but he is still being held at the Political Agents' Office in Peshawar, and there has been no further indication of when he will be released.

Sunday Mercury editor David Brookes said he was frustrated with the situation, and called it "a bureaucratic nightmare".

Amardeep, the Sunday Mercury's investigations editor, was detained in the border town of Torkham on May 10, when he tried to return to Pakistan from Afghanistan and authorities examined his passport and found he did not have the required exit stamp on his visa.

He was questioned over allegations of spying, but following a judicial remand hearing, the Home Secretary of the North West Frontier Province recommended that the journalist be deported, and this was approved by the Interior Ministry in Islamabad.

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