Pakistan frees Mullah Baradar, claim sources

KABUL Abdul Ghani Baradar, popularly known as Mulla Baradar, was finally released from a Pakistani jail on Wednesday, a journalist said.

London-based Afghan journalist Sami Yousufzai on his social media page broke the news regarding Mullah Baradar’s release from Pakistani jail.

He said it was not known as yet if Baradar was released due to his deteriorated health condition or his support for the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Earlier some sources had said Mullah Baradar was released on the solicitation of Qatari government.

Recently, a high level Qatari delegation visited Islamabad and met senior Pakistani leadership.

Mullah Baradar was captured by security agencies in Karachi in 2010. In the past there had been similar reports about Mulla Baradar’s release in Pakistan government.

Mullah Baradar was one of the four men who founded the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in 1994. Baradar held several senior positions in the Taliban government before its fall in 2001.

He then fled to Pakistan but was arrested during an operation in 2010. It is believed that Mulla Baradar’s release would help persuade Afghan Taliban to lay down arms and negotiate peace.

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