Islamabad: A key Afghan Taliban leader, who
was once in-charge of the outfit's political affairs, was
arrested today in Karachi by Pakistani intelligence agencies,
weeks after the capture of the group's number two Mullah
Baradar from the port city.
Motasim Agha Jan was held along with several of his
accomplices during a raid on a house in Ahsanabad area of
Karachi, official sources said.
He was arrested as part of an ongoing crackdown on the
"Quetta Shura" or council of the militants led by Mullah
Muhammad Omar, the elusive chief of the Afghan Taliban.
Agha Jan, who was earlier in-charge of political affairs
of the Afghan Taliban, is the seventh senior leader of the
outfit to be arrested in Pakistan in the past two months. He
is believed to have led Taliban leaders in recent talks in
Saudi Arabia.
First Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 17:37