UAE put Taliban leader under house arrest: Peace Council

The Afghan government says it is in touch with the UAE government to seek Agha Jan Mutassim’s release.

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have placed senior Taliban leader Agha Jan Mutasim under house arrest, just days after he had made contact with an Afghan peace council delegation in Dubai, the Karzai-backed negotiators said Thursday.

UAE, though, has yet to comment on Mutasim’s detention, who is a former Taliban minister and close confidant of the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.

When the Afghan government and the Peace Council learnt about Mutasim’s detention, they immediately contacted the UAE authorities and called for his release.

The peace council in a statement described Mutasim as an important character in promotion of peace and reconciliation and hoped that the UAE government will set him free.

A member of the peace council, Ismail Qasimyar, said that the council is hopeful that the UAE will extend help in the peace process with Mutasim’s release.

He was quoted by sections of the Afghan media as saying that the peace council has faced problems whenever it has entered into dialogue with the Taliban.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has tried to encourage the Taliban to hold talks with him but could not succeed as the Taliban insist that his administration has no power to make decisions.

Last week, Mutasim’s family sources and friends confirmed to The Express Tribune that they have lost contact with him in Dubai. They were concerned that the UAE authorities might have detained and shifted Mutasim to an undisclosed location.

On Monday the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed that Mutassim has gone missing in the United Arab Emirates.

President Hamid Karzai had personally welcomed the ‘Dubai peace initiative’ and also urged other Taliban leaders to join the process.

The Taliban disowned Mutasim after he announced launching the “Islamic Movement of Taliban”, met a team of negotiators and decided to hold more talks before he 'disappeared'. However, confirmation of his arrest is seen as a serious setback for Kabul’s frustrated peace efforts at a time when beleaguered Karzai has just few weeks in power.