Pakistan on Thursday said the Afghan Taliban’s former deputy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was released from jail at the request of the US as part of efforts to pursue a political settlement in war-torn Afghanistan.
“Baradar was released to provide impetus to the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. Pakistan will continue to pursue reconciliatory efforts to expedite and facilitate the process to our fullest ability,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal. Baradar’s release was facilitated by Pakistan at the US request in order to move forward on the shared objective of pursuing a political settlement in Afghanistan, he said.
The Taliban leader was in custody for the last many years after his capture by Pakistani authorities in a search operation.