Pakistan provides Afghanistan access to Taliban leader Baradar via road route: Sources

Giving yet another evidence of its close ties with the Taliban, Pakistan on Tuesday paved the way for the Taliban leader and potential president of Afghanistan Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. A prominent Taliban face, Baradar took the road route of Pakistan to reach Afghanistan, as per sources. All this while, Baradar was in Doha, taking part in negotiations to hammer out a political accord that could pave the way for a truce and more sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

The arrival of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Afghanistan holds relevance as the military group is presently in talks with the council for a 'peaceful transfer' of power in the country, as President Ashraf Ghani and other Ministers fled the country to prevent bloodshed.

Another evidence of Pakistan-Taliban nexus?

Funnily, Pakistan opened up its route for Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar moments after it said that it will 'not recognise' the Taliban government as of yet. The statement was probably made to be accepted by the international community after the UN Security Council under India's current Presidency held an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday.

Miffed on not being invited, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took to Twitter and expressed his displeasure. Mahmood Qureshi stated that it was 'unfortunate' that Pakistan had been ousted from the UNSC emergency meeting, a 'critical juncture in the destiny of Afghanistan'. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan also stated that after Afghanistan, it is Pakistan that has been a victim of the decades-old war, and blamed India for 'politicising' the multilateral platform. 

Pakistan and Taliban ties 

Pakistan has long-standing ties with the Taliban. The country's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), played a huge role in the creation of the group during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s,  following the Soviet withdrawal. Since then, the ISI has been sneakily or vocally been the military group's support and reportedly been providing it with financial resources, training, weapons, logistical support, and that has been crucial to the Taliban’s ability to wage an effective insurgency against the Afghan state.