Afghan officials in Pakistan for Taliban peace talks: sources

Published November 20, 2013
Karzai formed the Afghan High Peace Council in 2010 to pursue a negotiated peace with the Taliban, who have been leading an insurgency since being ousted from power by the US-led forces in 2001.—AFP/File Photo
Karzai formed the Afghan High Peace Council in 2010 to pursue a negotiated peace with the Taliban, who have been leading an insurgency since being ousted from power by the US-led forces in 2001.—AFP/File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Senior Afghan officials arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday to initiate peace talks with the Afghan Taliban following a breakthrough in negotiations during last month’s summit in Britain, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry source said.

The official would not say if and when they would meet former Afghan Taliban No.2 Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a man seen by Kabul as the key to restarting peace talks with the Taliban.

Baradar is said to be staying at an undisclosed location in Pakistan since Islamabad announced in September that it would release him in order to facilitate the Afghan peace process.

“The Afghan peace council has arrived in Islamabad accompanied by some other Foreign and Interior Ministry officials,” the Pakistani official with knowledge of the peace talks told foreign news agency Reuters.

“This is a follow up of what was decided in London and they will meet officials in the ministries of interior and foreign,” the official said, adding that the delegation arrived in the capital Islamabad in mid-afternoon.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London last month to discuss ways to kick start the stalled process.

Karzai formed the Afghan High Peace Council in 2010 to pursue a negotiated peace with the Taliban, who have been leading an insurgency since being ousted from power by the US-led forces in 2001.

Baradar is a long-time friend of the reclusive, one-eyed Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Afghanistan believes he is still powerful enough to persuade the insurgents to lay down their weapons and make peace.

Baradar was the Taliban’s deputy leader and one of their most influential commanders until he was arrested in Pakistan in 2010. Pakistan announced his release last month but Baradar remains in the country under close supervision.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...