Islamabad: Pakistan has agreed to free several Afghan Taliban prisoners amid talks with Afghan peace negotiators, officials from both countries said on Wednesday.
Afghanistan has long demanded Pakistan for access to prisoners, hoping that it could be helpful in the peace process.
“We aren’t too certain whether they can play an important role in peace negotiations but it is a positive gesture from Pakistan in helping peace efforts,” Reuters quoted an Afghan official as saying.
But he said he did not know when the prisoners would be released.
A senior Pakistani army official said it had not yet been decided if the former Afghan Taliban second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would be released.
Afghan officials have identified him as a figure who may still command enough respect to persuade the Taliban to pursue peace after more than a decade of fighting U.S.-led NATO and Afghan forces.
Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks with the Taliban.
Afghan and US officials accuse Pakistan of using insurgent groups, including the Haqqani network, as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of rival India. Pakistan rejects that.
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