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Pakistan promises to help Afghan officials meet Mullah Baradar
[TELEGRAPH.CO.UK] Pakistain's prime minister said he was committed to helping find peace in Afghanistan and that a deal had been reached to allow Afghan negotiators to meet a high-profile Taliban capo.Speaking during his first visit to Kabul since taking power in May,  Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... said next year marked a "milestone" as foreign forces left the country and urged an end to what he called the "destructive cycle of conflict." His one-day visit comes at a crucial moment. President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtunface on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... is locked in dispute with Washington over a deal to allow American troops to remain in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014. At the same time, Afghan negotiators are desperate to meet Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was captured by Pakistain in 2010 when he was the Taliban's deputy leader. They believe he could be instrumental in persuading his comrades to reach a settlement with Kabul. Pakistain says he has been released but Afghan officials complain he remains under the tight control of local security agencies. Posted by: Fred 2013-12-01 |
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