Afghanistan on Monday sought an early release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, besides other Taliban leaders and activists currently in Pakistani custody.
The crucial issue of Baradar’s release, who has been in Pakistani custody since 2010, was taken up in discussions during talks between an Afghan delegation and a team of senior Pakistani army officials led by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday.
The Afghan delegation is headed by Defence Minister General Bismillah Khan Muhammadi. General Khan also called on President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed with him bilateral ties and the regional situation. The Afghan defence minister raised the issue of release of Baradar and other Taliban leaders with President Zardari as well, sources privy to the parleys said. Pakistan has already released around 26 Taliban prisoners in the last couple of months, including former Taliban justice minister Mullah Nooruddin Turabi. Around 80 to 90 other Taliban leaders and activists are still in Pakistani jails and the most important among them is Mullah Baradar.
Pakistan has announced that it would set free all Taliban prisoners in phases in months to come. “The Afghan delegation praised Pakistan’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan, especially the release of Taliban leaders to persuade the insurgent leadership to join the reconciliation process. However, they (Afghan officials) also requested that Mullah Baradar and other Taliban leaders be released soon as well,” a source said on condition of anonymity. He said Pakistani officials reiterated Islamabad’s position on the issue that all Taliban prisoners would be freed. General Kayani told the Afghan military leadership that Pakistan would take all possible steps for facilitating the Afghan reconciliation process. “Both sides agreed that terrorism was a common threat and a joint fight against the menace would continue,” the source said. The Pakistani officials also sought effective measures by Afghan security forces to prevent terrorist attacks on Pakistani border posts in Dir, Bajaur and Chitral from the Afghan side.
Another source, who also sought anonymity, said Pakistani officials also asked for an early conclusion of proposed ‘Strategic Partnership Agreement’ with Afghanistan, which would help cement bilateral ties and boost bilateral defence cooperation. He said Pakistan had already handed over a draft of the Strategic Partnership Agreement to Afghan authorities, but the Karzai administration had yet to come up with a formal response to that important Pakistani initiative. The source said Pakistan also wanted to impart military training to Afghan National Army (ANA) and that offer was renewed by Pakistani officials during talks on Monday. The Afghan delegation told the Pakistani officials that it would convey Islamabad’s desire to the top Afghan leadership. In past, the Afghan government had shown reluctance to accept the offer of training by Pakistani Army due to alleged support that it believed Islamabad had been extending to the Taliban. However, Pakistan rejected the allegations, saying it had no favourites in Afghanistan and wanted durable peace and stability in the neighbouring country.
