Fazl terms Baradar’s release as welcome step

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman Saturday described the release of Mullah Baradar by the Pakistan authorities as a welcome step and called for freeing other Taliban detainees who wish to be part of the reconciliation efforts.

In a statement issued here, the JUI-F leader hoped that Baradar’s release will pave the way for Afghan reconciliation with the Taliban. “If other Taliban also wish to be part of the dialogue process, they should also be freed,” he asserted.

Maulana Fazl said Pakistan should expedite efforts for resumption of Doha talks for Afghan reconciliation. Pakistan should also extend cooperation towards Afghanistan’s internal reconciliatory dialogue process, he added.

He said the success of talks in Afghanistan will have a direct impact on the peace and stability of Pakistan.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, a one-time military chief often described as the insurgents' former second-in-command, was the most high profile detained Taliban commander in Pakistan.

The Afghan government had long demanded that Islamabad free Baradar, whose arrest in January 2010 saw Pakistan accused of sabotaging initiatives to bring peace in war-torn Afghanistan.