ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday released detained Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, sources said.
A press release issued by the Foreign Office on Friday stated that Pakistan will release detained Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar tomorrow (Saturday) in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process.
The detained Taliban leader was freed from a prisoner at unknown location, sources in the Foreign Office said, adding that he would not be handed over to Afghan government but rather likely to be sent to Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
Baradar was captured from Karachi in February 2010 and is one of the four men who founded the Taliban movement in 1994. He is believed to be a close aide and one of the most trusted commanders of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban.
Pakistan has consistently been asked by Afghan authorities to release Baradar, whose release they believe would prove fruitful in negotiations with Taliban militants.
