'Arrest of Afghan Taliban leaders in Pak aimed at derailing Afghan reconciliation'

Washington, Mar.11: The recent surge in action by Pakistan against key Afghan Taliban commanders hiding inside the country is actually aimed at destabilising the budding reconciliation process in Afghanistan, experts have said.

Saifullah Ahmadzai, who works with a Kabul-based research institute, the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS), described the recent arrests of several extremist commanders, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, as a 'conspiracy'.

According to Ahmadzai Pakistan would never want a peaceful Afghanistan, as it would affect its own cause in the troubled nation.

"Pakistan will never like to see a stable and united Afghanistan. The Afghan government developed a reconciliation plan in the London Conference and then announced a peace jirga that is going to be held in April. The Afghan Taliban had demonstrated willingness to come to talks; they even had participated in some meetings," The Huffington Post quoted Ahmadzai, as saying.

"As soon as the meetings were known, Pakistan arrested the leaders to block any peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan," he added.

Senior Pakistani journalist Shamim Shahid, editor of The Nation, also opined that Pakistan is still not serious in curbing the Afghan insurgents.

Shahid also said that the arrests were aimed to harm the Afghan reconciliation process.