Islamabad: Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar did not die in Pakistan nor was he buried in this country, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday. Addressing the National Assembly, the minister also said that the Taliban leader was never in Quetta or Karachi and was not treated at any Karachi hospital. The News quoted Asif as saying that statements made by Mullah Omar’s family proved that he died in Afghanistan and was also buried there.
Last month, Afghanistan announced that Mullah Omar, the reclusive leader of the Taliban movement, died more than two years ago in the Pakistani port city Karachi. “The government … based on credible information confirms that Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of the Taliban, died in April 2013 in Pakistan,” the Afghan presidential palace had said.
Asif said that Pakistan did not want to be involved in any controversy pertaining to the Taliban leadership. He said Pakistan wanted peace in the region and was playing its role as a facilitator in negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul.
Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency has said that Mullah Omar died in a Karachi hospital in April 2013. The Afghan Taliban later confirmed Mullah Omar’s death but did not say when or where he died.
