The High Peace Council (HPC) which is responsible for advancing peace negotiation with Taliban militants said on Thursday that Motasim Agha Jan is prison in United Arab Emirates. It also claimed that Motasim Agha Jan was supporting peace process and recently resided in that country. But due to unknown reasons he was put in jail. Based on the allegation of HPC, those who supported peace process were mysteriously put in jail or killed. For example, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader who was a member of Quetta Shura also claimed to be key supporters of peace negotiation with Taliban militants but arrested in Pakistan. After his detention, Kabul turned the edge of its criticisms toward Islamabad for spoiling the Afghan-led peace process which in turn affected the already tense relation between two neighbors.

After constant demands of Kabul, Islamabad released him last year but still there is no news of him. Even it is difficult to say if members of HPC know anything about his whereabouts. Has he given up and do not want to be involved in the messy talks about Taliban and Afghan government? Or Taliban leaders do not accept him as their representative to spearhead the peace negotiation. Similarly, after the assassination of Mawlavi Abdul Raqib Takkhari Afghan government openly shouted in criticisms of intelligence of neighboring country for systematic plan to sabotage the peace process. High government officials participated in his death ceremony and his corpse was also carried out by two government helicopters to Takhar province.

Now Motasim Agha Jan is the third person with whom Afghan officials claim of having secret communication. Now he has ended up in prison.

There are some really suspicious matters. First of all, when such key leaders of Taliban simply can book ticket and travel to United Arab Emirates by which country’s passport they can travel to other countries while intelligence of many countries are chasing them around the world to deal blow to Taliban establishment? So, there must be some invisible hands behind the engineering of peace process as the Afghan government claims.

Hopefully, the secret negotiation with Emirates officials succeeds and paves the way for his release. But before getting him out of the jail, Afghan officials should ensure that he is really helpful to the process.  He should not become another Barader.