Biradar among top Talibans to be free before Karzai’s visit
Posted on 21 hours ago
Ihsan Dawar
PESHAWAR: Pakistan is said to have prepared a list of 53 Afghan Taliban including top rank Taliban commander Mulla Biradar who is the closest comrade of Mulla Umer to be set free from the prisons of Pakistan before the proposed visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai expected in the second week of September, a reliable source confided to The Frontier Post on Saturday.
The sources on the condition of anonymity said that all is set for the proposed visit of the President which might be the last one of his official visits to Pakistan. "The President will be accompanied by a group of Ulema, Pakhtun elders and other stack holders who will hold very important meetings with various policy makers in Pakistan regarding the ongoing peace talks between Afghan government and the US," the sources confirmed while telling the details of the visit whose final dates are yet to be announced.
The sources also disclosed that in the upcoming visit the participation of Pakhtuns would be given due importance as they are supposed to play crucial role in the talks between Taliban and Karzai regime as most of the Taliban leaders are from Pakhtun race and in various areas of Afghanistan they have deep influence over the hard core Talibans. The sources of Afghan consulate in Peshawar said the release of Taliban top rank leaders is a gesture of goodwill from Pakistani side as President Karzai is highly interested in the release of Biradar and other Taliban leaders who can play vital role in the peace talks.
"President Karzai wants to show himself as a well wisher to the hard core Taliban leaders who are jailed in Pakistan during the last ten years and they are the real decision making body of the Afghan Taliban" the sources explained. It is also learnt from other sources that not only Mulla Biradar but other important Taliban leaders are also expected to be set free before the president Karzai visit.
Some of the other important Taliban leaders include Mulla Abdul Ghani, Janat Gul Mama, Abdul Manan, Mulla Abdul Haleem and Mansoor Dadullah who at present are in different prisons of Pakistan. It was also learnt that Mulla Biradar was earlier contacted in jail by senior officials to seek his help in the peace talks but he had refused to cooperate until and unless all the Taliban prisoners were set free. The sources revealed that the release of the Taliban leaders can lead to construct a good atmosphere for the ongoing dialogue between US and Taliban leaders in Qatar's capital Doha.
The sources also confirmed that the proposed visit of President Karzai is the most important in the sense that he will discuss the peace talk's process with Taliban, cross border infiltration which has caused a lot of tension between the two neighbors, Pak Afghan transit trade and other issues of mutual interest. It was also revealed by the sources that if the release of the Taliban leaders takes place before the visit of Hamid Karzai, it will also boost the peace process between the Pakistani government and the TTP who has very close relations with their Afghan comrades.
It would be the 19th official visit of Hamid Karzai after becoming president of Afghanistan and his first after Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan. Analysts put lot of importance to the proposed visit of Karzai and term it a mile stone in the establishment of peace in the region. They are also of the opinion that there are no chances of the success of peace talks until Mullah Biradar is in jail because he is the man who is properly consulted by Mulla Umer on all important issues.
Source :http://www.thefrontierpost.com/e-paper/
Posted on 21 hours ago
Ihsan Dawar
PESHAWAR: Pakistan is said to have prepared a list of 53 Afghan Taliban including top rank Taliban commander Mulla Biradar who is the closest comrade of Mulla Umer to be set free from the prisons of Pakistan before the proposed visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai expected in the second week of September, a reliable source confided to The Frontier Post on Saturday.
The sources on the condition of anonymity said that all is set for the proposed visit of the President which might be the last one of his official visits to Pakistan. "The President will be accompanied by a group of Ulema, Pakhtun elders and other stack holders who will hold very important meetings with various policy makers in Pakistan regarding the ongoing peace talks between Afghan government and the US," the sources confirmed while telling the details of the visit whose final dates are yet to be announced.
The sources also disclosed that in the upcoming visit the participation of Pakhtuns would be given due importance as they are supposed to play crucial role in the talks between Taliban and Karzai regime as most of the Taliban leaders are from Pakhtun race and in various areas of Afghanistan they have deep influence over the hard core Talibans. The sources of Afghan consulate in Peshawar said the release of Taliban top rank leaders is a gesture of goodwill from Pakistani side as President Karzai is highly interested in the release of Biradar and other Taliban leaders who can play vital role in the peace talks.
"President Karzai wants to show himself as a well wisher to the hard core Taliban leaders who are jailed in Pakistan during the last ten years and they are the real decision making body of the Afghan Taliban" the sources explained. It is also learnt from other sources that not only Mulla Biradar but other important Taliban leaders are also expected to be set free before the president Karzai visit.
Some of the other important Taliban leaders include Mulla Abdul Ghani, Janat Gul Mama, Abdul Manan, Mulla Abdul Haleem and Mansoor Dadullah who at present are in different prisons of Pakistan. It was also learnt that Mulla Biradar was earlier contacted in jail by senior officials to seek his help in the peace talks but he had refused to cooperate until and unless all the Taliban prisoners were set free. The sources revealed that the release of the Taliban leaders can lead to construct a good atmosphere for the ongoing dialogue between US and Taliban leaders in Qatar's capital Doha.
The sources also confirmed that the proposed visit of President Karzai is the most important in the sense that he will discuss the peace talk's process with Taliban, cross border infiltration which has caused a lot of tension between the two neighbors, Pak Afghan transit trade and other issues of mutual interest. It was also revealed by the sources that if the release of the Taliban leaders takes place before the visit of Hamid Karzai, it will also boost the peace process between the Pakistani government and the TTP who has very close relations with their Afghan comrades.
It would be the 19th official visit of Hamid Karzai after becoming president of Afghanistan and his first after Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan. Analysts put lot of importance to the proposed visit of Karzai and term it a mile stone in the establishment of peace in the region. They are also of the opinion that there are no chances of the success of peace talks until Mullah Biradar is in jail because he is the man who is properly consulted by Mulla Umer on all important issues.
Source :http://www.thefrontierpost.com/e-paper/