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Pakistan agrees release of more Taliban prisoners
[Dawn] Pakistain on Friday agreed to release another batch of Taliban prisoners in a bid to facilitate peace talks between beturbanned goons and the Afghan government, a joint foreign ministry statement said.The announcement came after talks in Islamabad between visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and his Pak counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. The number of prisoners to be released was not specified but is not thought to include the Taliban's former deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was captured in 2010. A senior Pak security official earlier told AFP that "no decision" had been taken on his release. The joint statement said both sides agreed the "release of more prisoners, facilitating contacts and urging the Taliban to renounce ties to al Qaeda." It was the second high-level delegation to visit Pakistain this month to press for the release of Taliban prisoners in a bid to kick start peace efforts. Posted by: Fred 2012-12-01 |
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