Official: Pakistan to free more Afghan detainees

Pakistan to release Afghan prisoners: The commander of a tribal militia, Maulvi Nazir, center, flanked by his bodyguards, speaks to journalists at Wana, the main town of Pakistan's tribal region of South Waziristan, along the Afghan border on April 20, 2007. Neighboring Pakistan has started to release Afghan prisoners in the hope of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. IMAGE

AP Photo: Ishtiaq Mahsud, File. Pakistan to release Afghan prisoners: The commander of a tribal militia, Maulvi Nazir, center, flanked by his bodyguards, speaks to journalists at Wana, the main town of Pakistan's tribal region of South Waziristan, along the Afghan border on April 20, 2007. Neighboring Pakistan has started to release Afghan prisoners in the hope of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. IMAGE

1/19/13

Kabul has been pressing its neighbor to release more prisoners in the hope of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani official says the country will release more Afghan militant detainees to boost the peace process in Afghanistan.

Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said Pakistan has initiated the process of releasing those Afghan detainees in its custody who they think will help facilitate the reconciliation process. He did not give a timetable.

His comments were made during a press conference Friday in Abu Dhabi and relayed by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

Pakistan is seen as key to peace efforts in Afghanistan when foreign troops plan to depart the country in 2014.

Pakistan has released 26 Taliban prisoners in recent months.

Kabul has been pressing its neighbor to release more prisoners in the hope of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

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