Amid ongoing efforts for political settlement of the Afghan war, Pakistan has reportedly released Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy of former Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Citing a credible source, Kabul based Kabul News TV channel reported on Sunday that Pakistan released the former Taliban official at the US request.
Mullah Baradar was considered second-in-command, while supreme leader Mullah Omar was alive, in Taliban ranks, who has been in an unknown Pakistani prison since 2010.
He was captured in a joint US-Pakistani raid in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in February 2010.
Little was heard of Mullah Baradar’s fate until late in 2012 when his name repeatedly topped the list of Taliban prisoners the Afghans wanted released in order to encourage nascent peace talks, according to a BBC report.
Afghan officials said at the time of his arrest that he had been holding secret peace talks with the Afghan government and accused Pakistan of trying to sabotage or gain control of the process.
