Baradar free to meet anyone: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Taliban, the foreign ministry said.

The Foreign Office spokesman said: “Pakistan has released Mullah Baradar to facilitate peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.”

Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told a weekly media briefing in Islamabad: “He (Baradar) is free to meet and contact anyone to advance the peace process.” However, he would not confirm the High Peace Council delegation’s visit to the country.

Afghan Taliban have decried that despite claims that Baradar had been release, deemed key a figure for the talks, he remained in Pakistan custody and thus not free to hold talks.

The issue was reportedly raised by Afghanistan during the trilateral talks among President Hamid Karzai, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and British leader David Cameron in London.

Also on Thursday, Sharif said a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban had started. He hoped the process would progress within the constitutional framework.

At a meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Sharif discussed dialogue with the Taliban and the economic reform agenda of his government.

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