Taliban_masked_670
— File Photo

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) delegation returned to Kabul on Thursday after a ‘successful’ extended stay in Islamabad – securing release of a number of Taliban figures and a promise that the Pakistan government would also consider freeing Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the former Taliban number two.

On the last day of their visit, HPC Chairman Salahuddin Rabbani and members of his delegation followed up with senior Pakistani officials on the decisions taken during their three-day talks and pressed for release of Mullah Baradar and at least three other top aides of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, including Mullah Noorudin Toorabi.

Mr Rabbani may not have been able to immediately get key Taliban leaders freed, but his hosts did not disappoint him either. A source said Pakistani officials showed more flexibility and promised to consider request for release of Mullah Baradar, Mullah Toorabi and two other insurgent commanders.

However, any decision will depend on how the release of the first batch of about 10 mid-ranking Taliban commanders plays out.

Media organisations put the figure of Taliban commanders freed at 13, but there was no independent confirmation about the number.

The names of those freed were not made public by either side because of their security concerns. However, both Afghan and Pakistani officials confirmed that the most senior figure among them was Maulawi Anwar-ul-Haq Mujahid, who commanded Taliban fighters in Nangarhar province after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

Anwar-ul-Haq, son of former Hizb-i-Islami (Khalis) group chief Maulawi Mohammed Yunis Khalis, had been in detention in Pakistan since 2009. He was arrested from Shamshatoo camp in Peshawar.

Haq took over the leadership of Hizb-i-Islami after the death of his father in 2006 and renamed it Hizb-i-Afghanistan. He is said to have helped Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden escape from a US attack in Tora Bora in 2001. Tora Bora and Khogyani districts were his strongholds.

There were reports in the past that Haq had been flown to Kabul from Peshawar for meetings with President Hamid Karzai and his advisers. He was accompanied by at least two other Taliban commanders — Maulvi Abdul Kabir, governor of Nangarhar, during the Taliban rule, and his deputy, Sadar-i-Azam.

The men were, however, returned to Pakistan’s custody after their talks apparently failed.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.