Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said Obaidullah Akhund died in 2010, posting a statement on a website run by the rebel group, fighting a 10-year insurgency against American troops and the new Kabul government.
The statement said Akhund was arrested by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan in 2007 and that his family members learnt recently that he had died in the prison on March 5, 2010.
It said he died of heart disease in a jail in Karachi.
The Taliban "strongly" urged Pakistan to provide details of Akhund's "imprisonment, death and illness".
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 1996, but were brought down by the 2001 US-led invasion after refusing to surrender Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Many Taliban leaders fled to Pakistan after their regime collapsed from where they allegedly still lead the bloody, 10-year insurgency.
1724219889-0/BeFunky-collage]_____-(32)1724219889-0-270x192.webp "us cautions india against escalation following pahalgam attack")
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