ABDU DHABI: The Afghan Taliban have confirmed that they have sent a high-level delegation to Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials, saying they hope the visit will have “fruitful results” and will be “in the interest of both countries”.
A foreign news agency reported on Wednesday that a Taliban delegation had travelled from its political office in Qatar to hold discussions in the light of “close relations, long border and commercial transactions” between the two neighbouring countries. Diplomatic sources say the Taliban delegation is on an “exploratory discussions” mission as part of Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Taliban’s political office in the Qatari capital of Doha is solely authorised to hold political talks. “The esteemed leader of the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) has instructed the delegation to discuss issues relating to Afghan refugees and some problems relating to the Afghan border provinces of Helmand and Nangarhar,” reads a statement.
The Taliban negotiators will particularly discuss with Pakistani authorities the release of Mullah Bradar and some other prisoners. The delegation, which has gone to Pakistan from Qatar, is holding talks on the issues stated above and has no other item on the agenda, the foreign news agency reported.
Bradar, the former second-in-command in the Taliban hierarchy, was arrested in Karachi in 2010. The Taliban claim he is still in custody, but Pakistan says that he was released along with 50 other senior Taliban leaders on the request of then Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2013.
Afghan officials in Kabul said they were aware of the visit, but no meeting of the Taliban delegation with the Pakistani officials had been planned.
