Is Afghan Taliban leader released by Pakistan a free man?
ISLAMABAD The status of a leading Taliban figure released by Pakistan in September has become shrouded in mystery following claims from the Taliban in Afghanistan that the man continues to remain in Pakistan's custody.
The release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the former deputy leader of the Taliban who also served as the movement's military chief, widely raised hopes of giving an impetus to stalled peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the U.S.-backed regime of Afghan president Hamid Karzai.
At the time of Baradar's release, a senior Pakistani intelligence official told CBS News that "Mullah Baradar's return to the negotiations will help the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan in relative peace," referring to U.S. plans for drawing down its troops from Afghanistan by end 2014.
On Wednesday, however, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement on the group's website that Baradar is still spending "days and nights locked up behind bars in worrisome health conditions which are deteriorating by the day" and called for his immediate release.
Two Pakistani intelligence officials familiar with conditions surrounding Baradar who agreed to speak to CBS News on condition of anonymity both insisted that he was a free man, though added that he continued to be protected by a Pakistani security team for his own safety.
"Till such time that Mullah Baradar lives on Pakistan's soil, we have to protect him," said one of the two officials adding "if any harm comes to him (Baradar), the entire peace process in Afghanistan will be in great jeopardy."
The second Pakistani intelligence official said Baradar's release from custody in September means "he is free to go anywhere he wants to go. So far, he hasn't decided where he wants to go next."
A senior Western diplomat in Islamabad who has closely tracked Baradar's case and agreed to speak to CBS News on condition that he will not be named said the controversy highlights the difficulty of pushing the peace process in Afghanistan.
"This is just one example of the complications surrounding Afghanistan. Unless Baradar comes out in public, claims and counter claims will make the rounds," he said.
The two Pakistani intelligence officials who spoke to CBS News said that just before Baradar's release, some Pakistani officials suggested that Baradar travel to Saudi Arabia ahead of next week's annual "Haj" pilgrimage prior to travelling to another country to meet with Taliban representatives from Afghanistan.
But one of the two officials said the idea could not materialize mainly because it was just not possible for all the relevant players to agree to such a plan.
"You had to have some understanding between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia," the official said. "There just wasn't enough time to make this happen before Haj which is the annual main pilgrimage and could have symbolically worked well to begin a new peace process."
The Western diplomat who spoke to CBS News said it was possible that the Afghan Taliban had criticized Pakistan after learning more about Baradar's condition.
"They (Afghan Taliban) are certain to know fully well how Baradar is being kept. I can only speculate, maybe they (Taliban) are trying to extract some concessions," the diplomat said.