ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Former ISI chief General (retd) Ehsanul Haq has strongly denied the long-held claim by former Taliban envoy Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef that Pakistan handed him over to the United States after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the Khyber Margalla Foundation, Haq said that Zaeef’s version of being “forcibly handed to the Americans” was inaccurate and misleading. According to him, Pakistani officials repeatedly asked the envoy to leave Islamabad after the Taliban government lost international recognition, but Zaeef refused to comply.
Haq revealed that Zaeef was eventually escorted to the Torkham border and allowed to cross into Afghanistan — where, Haq asserted, Afghan authorities detained him and later transferred him to US custody. “No one in Pakistan handed him over to the Americans,” the ex-spymaster clarified, stressing that the records and witnesses supported this account.
Mullah Zaeef, who spent several years in the Guantanamo Bay prison, has stood by his earlier claims published in his memoir My Life With The Taliban, where he accuses Pakistani intelligence of betrayal.
The conflicting narratives have reignited debate about Pakistan’s role during the early stages of the US-led war in Afghanistan. Analysts believe the dispute underscores deep sensitivities surrounding that turbulent chapter — when loyalties, strategy, and regional interests intertwined amid global pressure.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.