Islamabad, 21 September 2013: Pakistani officials say they have released their highest-ranking
Afghan Taliban prisoner to jumpstart Afghanistan's struggling peace process.
A
Pakistani intelligence official and a security official say Mullah Baradar, the former
deputy commander of the Taliban, was freed Saturday.
The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Pakistan's
Foreign Ministry announced earlier that Baradar would be released.
The Afghan
government has repeatedly asked Pakistan to release Baradar and hopes he can help
with peace negotiations. But some analysts and officials doubt he will make much of
a difference.
Pakistan arrested Baradar under murky circumstances in a joint
operation with the CIA in 2010 in the southern city of Karachi. Source: AP