Amid escalating crisis in Afghanistan, global pressure has mounted on Pakistan to bring Taliban to the table to hold peace talks with the Afghan government.
Pakistan has suggested a meeting between Afghan government leadership and the Islamist group to negotiate a power sharing settlement largely in favour of the latter.
Taliban’s ideological leader Haibatullah Akhunzada is based in Karachi, both Yaqoob and Haqqani are handling military operations from Quetta and Helmand
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The earlier attempt brokered by Pakistan to hold a meeting between President Ashraf Ghani and Taliban leaders between July 17-19 failed as the Sunni Islamist leaders said they did not want to talk to the current head of Afghan government.
With Taliban not willing to negotiate with President Ashraf Ghani, name of Prince Mirwais Khan is being floated around as a possible interlocutor for the Afghan government.
The settlement conditions for peace forwarded by the Sunni group to Kabul are very steep. The Taliban has reportedly has put forward three conditions to Afghanistan government for peace negotiations.
It has demanded that all Taliban prisoners in Afghan jails should be unconditionally freed, that the government should get Taliban delisted as a terrorist group by the UN. Also, it has proposed that President, Defence Minister, Interior Minister, Army Chief and NDS (spy agency) Chief should be from the insurgent group.