Islamabad hands over top Pakistani Taliban commanders to Afghan mediators

Pakistan has handed over two top commanders of the Pakistani Taliban Taliban (TTP) to the Afghan Taliban, who have mediated peaceful talks between the two parties, as part of an effort to revive negotiations with military groups, RFE/RL reported.

Muslim Khan and Mehmood Khan New -New -Newly moved from the military detention facility to the Afghan Taliban detention in the northwestern tribe of Pakistan, said sources with knowledge about this problem.

The move came as a delegation of Pakistani senior military officials arrived in Kabul on May 9 for talks with TTP leadership, said sources with negotiation knowledge.

As an action to develop trust, TTP approves the temporary ceasefire from 10 to 15 May, according to the decision issued by the leadership of TTP and seen by RFE/RL. The militant group has announced the unilateral ceasefire from April 29 to May 9 to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid holiday.

The discussion between the Pakistani delegation and TTP is being mediated by the Afghan Taliban, which has an ideological ties and organizational that is closely with TTP. The Afghan militant group is also an old Islamic ally of Islamabad, its main foreign sponsor.

Negotiations came as TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, had intensified its attacks in Pakistan since a month of weapons for a month and a peaceful discussion collapsed in December, RFE/RL reported.

Since then, Islamabad has sent a secret delegation to Afghanistan to hold talks with TTP about reviving the expired ceasefire and continued the talks about the end of being negotiated on the 14 -year TTP rebellion in Pakistan, where thousands of people have been killed in militant attacks and clashes between TTP and TTP military.

TTP has demanded the release of 102 commanders and fighters in Pakistan prison. Pakistan has released most of the prisoners of TTP but is reluctant to free Muslim Khan and Mehmood Khan.

TTP also demands the implementation of Islamic Shar’ia law in Pakistan’s tribal belt, the demand that observers say the government is likely to refuse.

The two commanders will be released from the Afghan Taliban detention as soon as TTP approves a permanent ceasefire with Islamabad, said the source with negotiation knowledge,