Afghanistan granted access by Pakistan to Taleban leader

Afghan officials have held secret talks with the Taleban’s former second in command, who is in detention in Pakistan, in a move which could help rekindle stalled peace talks with the insurgents, according to senior officials from both countries.

Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks with the Taleban but its decision to grant access to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar may signal Islamabad’s willingness to play a more active role.

Rangin Spanta, the national security adviser to Afghan president Hamid Karzai and an architect of peace-building efforts, this weekend said an Afghan delegation had met Baradar in Pakistan two months ago.

Baradar has been in detention since he was captured in a joint operation by the CIA and Pakistani intelligence agents in the Pakistani city of Karachi in 2010.

“We have met Mullah Baradar,” Mr Spanta said in Kabul. “Our delegation has spoken to him to know his view on peace talks.”

Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s interior minister, also said that Pakistan had granted Afghan officials access to Baradar.