Pakistan releases brothers of Afghan Taliban's top negotiator

Pakistani religious leaders have played a vital role in the release of Tayyeb Agha's brothers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have released two brothers of Tayyeb Agha, Afghan Taliban's top negotiator after nearly five months of detention, three Taliban leaders confirmed to The Express Tribune late Friday. 

Agha is the head of Taliban's political office in Qatar. His brothers Younas and Tahir had been picked up in Karachi and Quetta on May 1 respectively, according to Taliban officials.

"I can confirm that both brothers of Tayyeb Agha have been released in Quetta on Friday," Taliban leaders, who talked to the detainees after their release, said.

Younas Agha, who had at one point served as the deputy governor of Khost province during the Taliban regime, was arrested from Karachi, where he was accompanying his ailing father.

Tahir Agha, another brother of Tayyeb, was picked up from his residence in Quetta.

There was no official word on their release, as their arrests were never officially confirmed by the authorities.

A Taliban source had earlier said that Tayyeb’s brothers were picked up after "their contacts with an Afghan government official." The Taliban, though, have denied any such contact.

Taliban claim that Tayyeb’s brothers did not occupy any senior position in the organisation at the time of their arrests. However, they had been involved in high-level Taliban consultations.

“Younas Agha used to visit Dubai for some Taliban talks there,” they said.

Tayyeb's elder brother, father and other family members had moved to Afghanistan after Younas and Tahir’s arrests. They later moved to Qatar, a Taliban leader said.

Tayyeb is involved with the Taliban political office in Qatar. He had served as a special assistant to the elusive Taliban spiritual leader, Mullah Omar, during the Taliban regime and was tasked to lead the negotiations because of Mullah Omar’s trust in him.