Pakistan agrees to free some Taliban prisoners

KABUL, according to a joint statement released by the Peace Council and the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

The statement did not specify the number of the detainees being released but said the decision was made “in support of peace and reconciliation process and in response to the request of the Afghan government and High Peace Council.”

Led by Salahuddin Rabbani, the peace council delegation has held extensive talks with Pakistani military and civilian leaders in the past three days. 

In the declaration issued by the peace council and the Pakistani foreign ministry, the two sides called on the Taliban to sever ties with al-Qaeda and other international terrorist networks. 

The statement said that Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US would facilitate safe passage to potential negotiators to advance the peace process.

To facilitate the peace talks,  Afghanistan and Pakistan will work with international partners to remove from the UN sanctions list the names of potential negotiators for the Taliban and other groups, the statement said. 

mxf

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