KABUL: A delegation of the Afghanistan High Peace Council will visit Pakistan soon to meet with former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghan presidential palace said on Wednesday.
The statement came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that a deal had been reached after Tuesday’s negotiations with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held during the London summit hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Baradar, once a close friend of reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar and who still enjoys much respect among Taliban fighters, was freed from fail by Pakistani authorities in September in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process, but he is still kept in a safe house and is closely watched by his Pakistani handlers.
The Afghan officials believe that Baradar could encourage Taliban leaders to seek a negotiated settlement to end the twelve-year insurgency if he were fully at liberty.
