Samiul Haq quoted Karzai as saying that he was in contact with Taliban and that he holds talks with them 'from time to time'.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told a top Pakistani cleric with ties to militants that key Afghan Taliban leaders are either killed or arrested whenever they show willingness to negotiate with his government.
"President Hamid Karzai told me that certain powers kill and arrest important Afghan (Taliban) personalities whenever they find an opportunity to talk to us (Karzai’s government)," Maulana Samiul Haq, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-S, said after a one-on-one meeting with Karzai yesterday.
"The Afghan President also mentioned the arrest and killing of key Taliban leaders in Pakistan," Haq said, adding that Karzai said he loses an opportunity for dialogue when the Afghan Taliban personalities are removed from the scene.
"President Karzai told me that he has sensed a positive change in the approach of Pakistani leaders during his official talks," Haq said.
"However, I told him Pakistani leaders cannot play any role in the Afghan peace and reconciliation unless they change their pro-US policy."
Haq quoted Karzai as saying that he was in contact with Taliban and that he holds talks with them "from time to time".
Karzai did not elaborate on the extent of his contacts with the Taliban, he said.
Karzai met senior religious and political leaders during his visit to Islamabad to attend a trilateral summit with the Presidents of Iran and Pakistan. He sought their help for peace and reconciliation efforts in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
An Afghan diplomat said Karzai extended his visit by a day and wrapped up his trip yesterday.
He had earlier scheduled a two-day trip but extended it to complete talks with key Pakistani politicians.
Media reports said an angry and frustrated Karzai confronted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's delegation during bilateral talks on Thursday and demanded that they produce Afghan Taliban leaders for talks.
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