<p>Abdul Haqiq, a former Afghan Taliban spokesman who used the alias Mohammad Hanif, played a key role in helping Washington reach out to Mullah Omar, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted a source as saying.<br /><br />Haqiq was arrested by US and Afghan intelligence agents in Afghanistan in June 2007.<br />He was one of the high profile Afghan Taliban spokesmen along with Yousuf Ahmadi, appointed after chief spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi was arrested in October 2005 in Pakistan.<br /><br />Several claims have been made so far by the US about negotiations with the Taliban but Islamabad and Kabul were never taken into confidence over the talks, the report said.<br />The US reportedly offered the Taliban control over southern Afghanistan, leaving the north for other political forces under American influence.<br /><br />However, this was rejected by the Taliban.<br /><br />"The acceptance of such a proposal could not be possible for the Taliban as it could lead to the disintegration of Afghanistan," said former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Hamid Gul.<br /><br />The daily quoted a Pakistani diplomat in Kabul as being optimistic about the talks.<br />"The Taliban are aware that it will be difficult to defeat foreign troops in Afghanistan or capture the entire country.<br /><br />"Similarly, the US is also aware that it cannot defeat the Taliban in the next few years," the unnamed diplomat said.<br /><br />A senior official in Pakistan's Foreign Office was not as sure of the success of the US-Taliban talks.<br /><br />"Such talks are bound to fail as Washington is trying to achieve its goals without taking (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai into confidence.<br /><br />"If at all the Afghan Taliban agrees to the reconciliation talks, their preference will be with Afghan leaders over foreign forces," the official said.<br /><br />Central Asian diplomats in Islamabad too expressed doubts about the practicability of the US-Taliban talks.<br /><br />"On the one hand, the US is building six permanent military bases in Afghanistan, and on the other, talking about the withdrawal of its troops from the country," an ambassador of a Central Asian state was quoted by a Foreign Office official as saying.<br /><br />Afghan High Peace Council chief Burhanuddin Rabbani told the Afghan House of Representatives earlier this month that his organisation had made contacts with the Afghan Taliban.<br /><br />He told the house that the Taliban were not willing to trust the Afghan government's reconciliation process.<br /><br />"The Taliban nurse doubts about Kabul's initiative," he said. <br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Abdul Haqiq, a former Afghan Taliban spokesman who used the alias Mohammad Hanif, played a key role in helping Washington reach out to Mullah Omar, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted a source as saying.<br /><br />Haqiq was arrested by US and Afghan intelligence agents in Afghanistan in June 2007.<br />He was one of the high profile Afghan Taliban spokesmen along with Yousuf Ahmadi, appointed after chief spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi was arrested in October 2005 in Pakistan.<br /><br />Several claims have been made so far by the US about negotiations with the Taliban but Islamabad and Kabul were never taken into confidence over the talks, the report said.<br />The US reportedly offered the Taliban control over southern Afghanistan, leaving the north for other political forces under American influence.<br /><br />However, this was rejected by the Taliban.<br /><br />"The acceptance of such a proposal could not be possible for the Taliban as it could lead to the disintegration of Afghanistan," said former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Hamid Gul.<br /><br />The daily quoted a Pakistani diplomat in Kabul as being optimistic about the talks.<br />"The Taliban are aware that it will be difficult to defeat foreign troops in Afghanistan or capture the entire country.<br /><br />"Similarly, the US is also aware that it cannot defeat the Taliban in the next few years," the unnamed diplomat said.<br /><br />A senior official in Pakistan's Foreign Office was not as sure of the success of the US-Taliban talks.<br /><br />"Such talks are bound to fail as Washington is trying to achieve its goals without taking (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai into confidence.<br /><br />"If at all the Afghan Taliban agrees to the reconciliation talks, their preference will be with Afghan leaders over foreign forces," the official said.<br /><br />Central Asian diplomats in Islamabad too expressed doubts about the practicability of the US-Taliban talks.<br /><br />"On the one hand, the US is building six permanent military bases in Afghanistan, and on the other, talking about the withdrawal of its troops from the country," an ambassador of a Central Asian state was quoted by a Foreign Office official as saying.<br /><br />Afghan High Peace Council chief Burhanuddin Rabbani told the Afghan House of Representatives earlier this month that his organisation had made contacts with the Afghan Taliban.<br /><br />He told the house that the Taliban were not willing to trust the Afghan government's reconciliation process.<br /><br />"The Taliban nurse doubts about Kabul's initiative," he said. <br /><br /><br /></p>