Islamabad, Jan 1: Eight members of the Afghan Taliban were released from prison on Monday, including the former justice minister under the Taliban.
Ex-Taliban justice minister Mullah Nuroddin Turabi was among those released Monday, a senior official of the Pakistani foreign ministry said, requesting anonymity.
The move is expected to help build momentum to the Afghan peace process.
Former Taliban communications minister Allah Dad, ex-governor of Helmand province Mullah Abdul Bari and former Taliban guard Muhammad Azeem were also released, Xinhua reported.
Pakistan had freed 13 other Taliban militants last month.
Pakistan is seen as a lynchpin in efforts to bring about peace in Afghanistan as foreign troops plan to depart the country in 2014.
Kabul has been pressing its neighbour to release more prisoners who they hope would bring the Taliban to the negotiating table before the US troops go home.
The Pakistanis appear to have an interest in promoting peace across the border, as a resumption of the civil war there could bring harsh consequences on its side as well.
”We have released some more Taliban prisoners today as our help in the peace process in Afghanistan,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said, eight detainees were released, including Nooruddin Turabi, the justice minister under the Taliban.
Mohammad Azeem, a former guard of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was also among those released, according to a Taliban official.
It was not clear what role the eight released prisoners might play in bringing Taliban leaders to the negotiating table or what links they have to the group's current leadership.
Pakistan has longstanding ties to the Taliban and its support is key to any future reconciliation, just as its opposition would likely block any progress.
For example, Pakistan could facilitate travel for Taliban leaders - many who are believed to reside in or travel to Pakistan frequently- to third countries for peace talks.
Last month, Pakistan released 18 prisoners at the request of the Afghan High Peace Council, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in its statement. In early December it promised to release more members of the group.
Both developments were seen as signs that Pakistan, long accused of backing militants, was supporting a new push to bring peace to a country with which it shares a long border and tumultuous history.
The Afghan and US governments accuse Islamabad of backing insurgents _ an allegation Pakistan denies _ and say many militant leaders are hiding in the country.
So far the militant group's former deputy leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has not been released, although Afghanistan has been pressuring Pakistan to set him free.
The Afghan peace process has made little headway since it began several years ago, hobbled by distrust among the major players, including the United States.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Masoon Stanekzai, a top Afghan peace negotiator has told a news agency that he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for reconciliation with the Taliban and that all sides now realised a military solution to the war was not possible.
Stanekzai told Reuters that the Kabul government hoped to transform the Afghan Taliban into a political movement.
He predicted the lethal Haqqani militant network would join the peace process if the Afghan Taliban started formal talks.
Stanekzai, also a close aide to President Hamid Karzai, expressed cautious optimism about prospects for peace.
Members of the Afghan government, the Taliban and some of its old enemies in the Northern Alliance discussed ways of easing the conflict during a recent meeting in France.
“I think one consensus was that everybody acknowledged that nobody will win by military (means). Everybody acknowledged that we have to enter into a meaningful negotiation,” he said in a rare interview.
