Pakistan Releases Top Taliban Prisoner Abdul Ghani Baradar In Bid To Revive Peace Talks

Afghanistan hopes the release of Baradar, former Taliban second-in-command, will tempt moderate Taliban leaders to negotiate in the peace process. (Reuters)

Pakistan 'Frees Top Taliban Leader Abdul Ghani Baradar' -- BBC

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Afghan Taliban, has been freed from jail in Pakistan, reports say.

There is no official confirmation. The Afghan government had requested his release to boost the Afghan peace process and has hailed the move.

Mullah Baradar is one of the four men who founded the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in 1994.

He became a linchpin of the insurgency after the Taliban were toppled by the US-led invasion in 2001.

He was captured in the Pakistani city of Karachi in 2010.

News of Mullah Baradar's release came from officials of the interior ministry. However, a spokesman later denied the reports.

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Pakistan releases senior Taliban commander -- AFP
Pakistan frees top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar -- BBC
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar 'freed by Pakistan' -- The Telegraph
Pakistan releases top Afghan Taliban prisoner in effort to boost peace process -- The Guardian
Pakistan Releases Senior Taliban Commander -- Voice of America
Pakistan says senior Taliban leader released from prison -- UPI
Pakistan frees Afghan Taliban commander -- Al Jazeera
Pakistan Releases Top Taliban Prisoner In Peace-Talks Bid -- Radio Free Europe
Pakistan releases former Taliban second-in-command -- Indian Express
Profile: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar -- BBC

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Pakistan To Free Former Afghan Taliban Mullah Baradar On Saturday

Photo: A picture provided to NBC News by sources close to the Afghan Taliban appears to show Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar addressing Taliban somewhere in Afghanistan in 2003. NBC News

Pakistan To Free Former Afghan Taliban No.2 Saturday -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Pakistan is to release former Afghan Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Saturday, yielding to years of calls from Afghanistan to free a man who it hopes could play a pivotal role in bringing peace to Pakistan's neighbour.

The United States and Afghanistan have long pressed Pakistan to free Baradar, a figure they believe could tempt moderate Taliban leaders to come to the negotiating table as U.S.-led troops prepare to leave Afghanistan at the end of next year.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Baradar, captured in Pakistan in 2010, would be freed "in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process".

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Pakistan to free Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Baradar on Saturday -- BBC
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Taliban's former second-in-command will be released by Pakistan tomorrow -- NBC
Pakistan to free top Afghan Taliban chief -- The Australian
Pakistan to Release Senior Taliban Commander -- Voice of America
Taliban Fast Facts -- CNN

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Pakistan To Release Former Afghan Taliban Second-In-Command To Promote Peace Talks

Undated photo of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (file photo)

Exclusive: Pakistan To Free Former Taliban Second-In-Command This Month -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Pakistan plans to free former Afghan Taliban second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, this month to help advance peace efforts in neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan's foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.

The United States and Afghanistan have long pressed Pakistan to free Baradar and other senior Taliban figures who could be used to tempt moderate Taliban leaders to the negotiating table and transform the insurgency into a political movement.

"In principle, we have agreed to release him. The timing is being discussed. It should be very soon ... I think within this month," Sartaj Aziz, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's adviser on foreign affairs, told Reuters in an interview.

Baradar's fate is at the heart of Afghanistan's efforts to kick-start the stalled peace process as most NATO combat troops prepare to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and anxiety grows over the country's security.

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More News On Reports that Pakistan Will Free Afghan-Taliban Leader Mullah Baradar

Pakistan to free Taliban leader Mullah Baradar -- The Long War Journal
Pakistan to release top Afghan Taliban prisoner -- CBS
Pakistan to release most senior Afghan Taliban prisoner -- FOX News/AP
Pakistan to release senior Afghan Taliban prisoner -- AFP
Pakistan to Release Senior Taliban Leader -- Wall Street Journal
Pakistan set to release Taliban's former second-in-command -- NBC
Pakistan to release Taliban’s former second-in-command to help Afghan peace talks -- The Independent
Pakistan to release Taliban's Mullah Baradar 'this month' -- The Telegraph
The Key To Afghan Peace Unlocked? -- Radio Free Europe

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