Recently, images of a ‘Pakistani passport’ purporting to be that of a prominent Taliban leader have gone popular on social media. According to the allegation, the Taliban’s de-facto leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani, also known as Baradar (brother), obtained a Pakistani passport in 2020 under the name Muhammad Arif Agha. Mullah Baradar and Muhammad Arif Agha are not the same person, according to the Taliban, and the passport photo does not match Baradar.
The origins of the ‘Pakistani passport’ may be traced back to ancient times. According to a report released by Afghanistan’s Khama Press on June 25, 2020, Mullah Baradar held not only a passport but also Pakistan’s national identity card. Pakistan allegedly sent these documents to Baradar under the false name Muhammad Arif Agha, according to the investigation. A former officer of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security was quoted in the article. According to the report, the documents were allegedly issued to Mullah Baradar on July 7, 2014, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Read more: ‘Taliban will not allow Pakistan to interfere with Afghanistan’: Reports
Mullah Baradar, who had been arrested by the ISI in 2010, was in Pakistan at the time. The photograph of Mullah Baradar’s Pakistani passport that has lately gone viral, on the other hand, is a forgery. That photo is supposed to be from a Pakistani woman’s passport. It was tampered with and the photo and other details were changed to create a fake passport image. Mullah Baradar has a long history with Pakistan, and analysts claim he was exploited as a pawn by the Pakistani government until being released in 2018 after US intervention.
Post Your Comments