In a significant development, Pakistan has released senior Taliban leader Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, a move aimed at impressing upon the top Taliban leadership to join the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
Mullah Turabi, who is ill and of old age, was the justice minister in the Taliban government, and had been in Pakistani custody for the last 10 years. Turabi, a close aide of Taliban supreme commander Mullah Omar, enjoys respect in the ranks of the Taliban. He had lost his leg while fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
“Mullah Turabi has been freed as a positive gesture towards the peace and stability in Afghanistan and it is to facilitate the peace dialogue between the Afghan authorities and the Taliban,” said a diplomatic source, requesting anonymity.
Before Mullah Turabi, Pakistan had freed three former Taliban governors including Mullah Abdul Salam, Mir Ahmad Gul and Daud Jalali.
Besides, another important Taliban commander Anwarul Haq Mujahid, the eldest son of the late mujahideen leader Maulvi Yunis Khalis, was released by the Pakistani authorities along with the former Taliban governors.
These releases were made during the visit of Afghan High Peace Council to Islamabad, a move that was welcomed by the Afghan authorities.
However, Peace Council’s Chairman Salahuddin Rabbani also demanded the release of senior Taliban leaders like Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in his talks with the Pakistani officials.
A senior security official expressed ignorance about the release of Mullah Turabi, saying according to his information no such development had taken place.
Nonetheless, he said Pakistan was all for peace and stability in Afghanistan and it would do whatever it could for that purpose.
The diplomatic source, meanwhile, said nothing could be said about the fate of other Taliban leaders like Mullah Baradar, who were still in Pakistani custody.
He said Pakistani authorities wanted to see the impact of release of Taliban leaders and any decision about the other Taliban prisoners would be taken after that.
Another diplomatic source told Pakistan Today that President Hamid Karzai, who held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday in Turkey, also demanded the release of more Taliban leaders from the custody of Pakistani authorities.
“Karzai was told that Pakistan was willing to facilitate the Afghan peace dialogue and it would take all possible steps for its success,” the source said.
He said the Afghan president also raised the issue of failed suicide bombing on his intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid in his talks with Zardari and was told that Pakistani authorities were ready to extend cooperation to the Afghan government for probing into the terrorist attack.