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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan agrees Afghan Taliban releases in Islamabad talks |
| 2012-11-14 |
| Pakistan has agreed to free several jailed Afghan Taliban officials during talks in Islamabad with Afghan peace negotiators, officials say. But the Afghan delegation has extended its stay for an extra day, amid disagreements about who will be freed. Afghan sources told the BBC the former Taliban justice minister Mullah Turabi and two intelligence officials are among the group who will be released. One Afghan official described the move as a positive gesture towards peace. Pakistan says it backs peace efforts. The BBC's Orla Guerin says the releases are a tangible step to prove this. Our correspondent, reporting from Islamabad, says that the key issues are who is being freed, and how much power they have. Crucially, it appears that the Taliban number two, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is not among those being released - at least for now. However, Afghan officials hope that Mullah Turabi can bring field commanders into talks. But one Taliban leader told the BBC he no longer has any influence over the movement. |
| Posted by:tipper |