Pakistan releases former Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar

Pakistan has released Mullah Abdul Ghani, alias Mullah Baradar, a former deputy leader of Afghanistan's Taliban on Saturday, a Foreign Ministry official has confirmed to Anadolu Agency. Mullah Baradar was arrested by Pakistani security agencies in the southern port city of Karachi,Pakistan's commercial hub, in 2010.   His release is part of an understanding betweenPakistan and Afghanistan reached during a visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Islamabad a few weeks ago. Karzai believes that Mullah Baradar could play a role in persuading the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omer to hold direct talks with the Kabul government to bring an end to a decade-long insurgency in the war-hacked country. Pakistan released a batch of seven Taliban prisoners two weeks ago. The seven released Taliban prisoners were: Mansoor Dadullah, Said Wali, Abdul Manan, Karim Agha, Sher Afzal, Gul Mohamed and Mohamed Zai. Since 2012, Pakistan has released 34 Taliban leaders at the request of the Afghan government.