Pakistani minister denies arrest of Taliban commander

Pakistan on Tuesday denied the capture of Top Taliban military commander. The Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday while speaking to media outside parliament in Islamabad termed the reports of capture of Top Taliban military commander by US and Pakistani intelligence agencies as “propaganda”.

The New York Times and other US media cited US government officials as saying that US and Pakistani intelligence services arrested Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Karachi “several days ago”.

“We are verifying all those we have arrested. If there is any big target, I will show the nation,” Malik said.

“If the New York Times gives information, it is not a divine truth, it can be wrong. We have joint intelligence sharing and no joint investigation, nor joint raids,” Malik added.

“We are a sovereign state and hence will not allow anybody to come and do any operation. And we will not allow that. So this (report) is propaganda,” he added.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is said to be one of the founders of Taliban movement in Afghanistan in 1994 and currently said to be second in command to Mullar Omar. He was Taliban's deputy minister of defence.

Mullah Baradar also known as Mullah Baardar Akhund was born in Weetmak village in Dehrawood district in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan in 1968.

He is also said to be a member of the Taliban's ‘Quetta Shura’, or leadership council.

The capture of the Taliban commander considered more close to ISI and relatively having soft stance towards US with regard to negotiations, raises many eye-brows in the analytical circles.

- Asian Tribune -