After constant calls for the release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the ex-second in command of Taliban militants, finally Islamabad officials decided to set him free. Last week, Sartaj Aziz, main advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared that Baradar would be released but wouldn’t be handed over to Afghanistan. He said that handing him to Kabul would affect the reconciliation process with Taliban. “It is at his discretion, whether he chooses to live here or anywhere of his own choice”.
Similarly, Pakistani Prime Minister also talked of his release just within a week during his visit from Turkey. However, he openly said the decision to set him free was made due to recent visit of President Hamid Karzai to his country. However, his statement contradicts the statements of his top advisor, Sartaj Aziz, as he said that the Pakistani officials have to follow the Taliban’s desires and they would carry out his release in accordance with what Taliban wanted.
The statement of Sartaj Aziz shows that the desires of Taliban were taken far serious than the demand of President Karzai. However, it is not much important. What is vital is that he was set free; what Afghan officials from long-time ago was looking for.
But surprisingly, the report was not welcomed far away in Kabul against earlier expectation. Afghan officials have meaningfully kept silent over the issue. They should have burst into happiness, looking to their continuous and indefatigable efforts to set him free. But they did not!
The answers lies on the bed of another question which is: will his release give the peace process a new momentum? There are two somehow weirdly obsessing issues. First of all, why Afghan officials have put finger on his release while the release of lower commanders from AfPak’s prisons did not prove any help to peace process? Secondly, why Pakistan, in spite of continuous demands of Kabul, avoided releasing him, considering that defiance will not only deteriorate bilateral relation and fuel suspicion about its role in Afghanistan?
It is really not clear why Afghan officials think that Baradar is far logical, reasonable and interested to commence negotiation with them, the thing which has been constantly rejected by group’s leadership. From the very early start of the initiative, Taliban militants have constantly rejected to sit on the negotiating table with Afghan government’s representatives. Although Mr. President himself calls them as “dissent brothers”, they have not given up calling the “foreign puppet”. Hundreds of Taliban prisoners have been released by direct order of Mr. President but Taliban avoided giving grim green signal to negotiate with his government. Similar action held by Pakistan. Several important commanders have been released on what Pakistan says is due to demand of Kabul, but none paid back for its good intention. There are reports that most of them have returned to battlefield and wage Jihad against Afghan government.
They still try to challenge the legitimacy of his rule saying that he has come to power by the force of US fighter jets. So, negotiating with government’s representative, they think, itself a blow to long-held mentality of Taliban fighters. Thus, they instead say that their main opposition is the United States and they will just negotiate with it about the destiny of Afghanistan.
What Afghan officials assume is this that Mullah Baradar can use his influence and change this inflexible stance against government. They consider him crucial in getting Taliban leadership to be realistic because foreign countries will leave Afghanistan till next year and, thus, they should talk with government of Afghanistan if they are in pursuit of solution to ongoing deadlock. I really do not know from where this hope originates but it is something which is widely reflected that he is willing to strike deal with Afghan government.
I do not think so that Afghan officials have ever been in contact with him. Because if ever they had such contact, they could communicate with Washington to tell CIA agents to avoid arresting him in cooperation with ISI intelligence. But it is possible the denial of Islamabad for his release has changed him to favorable icon for peace, which depends on the answer of second question put in the above paragraph: “why Pakistan ignored the continuous call for his release?” Kabul has always Islamabad policies with suspicion. It believes that politicians and officials of security establishments still maintain relation with Taliban commanders. It is also blamed that Taliban
leaders live in Pakistan and enjoy the shelter. In line with such policy, what persistence on keeping Baradar in prison meant? The answer is obvious. Kabul viewed such move as sabotaging the peace process. So, while on one hand, they maintain that Pakistan secretly supports the insurgency, how they can trust that Baradar was kept for security reasons or due to his linkage to Afghan militants?
Such a dominant suspicion further encouraged Afghan officials to push for his release, assuming that he is willing to sit on the negotiating table with government’s representatives. Therefore, they kept emphasizing on his release without being certain that he would be catalyst to stalled peace process. Now he walks free. This decision threw the game to the ground of Afghanistan. Islamabad can actually label the decision as its sincerity toward Afghan peace process. So, whether he fulfills the expectations of Afghan government or disappoints it is something that should be seen in the near future.