Unknown Fate Awaits Former Taliban Spokesman

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
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Unknown Fate Awaits Former Taliban Spokesman

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat
Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan , Asharq Al-Awsat

The fate of former Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan remains unclear in light of the Peshawar High Court’s decision which prohibited the government from releasing him under any circumstances.

Ehsan remains detained by Pakistani security services. According to government officials, he is undergoing extensive interrogation.

It is worth noting that the Pakistani government sought in 2014 to grant him general amnesty, after he admitted in a clip that the Pakistani Taliban had carried out terrorist operations inside Pakistani cities commissioned by Indian intelligence.

Immediately after local press reported the Pakistani government's intention to release Ehsan, the parents of students who died in the bombing of an army school in Peshawar petitioned the Supreme Court in Peshawar, demanding the court to compel the government not to release him under any circumstances.

In response to the petition, the Supreme Court ordered the government not to release Ehsan.

Subsequently, Pakistani Interior Minister Muhammad Tallal Badar Chaudhary told his country's Senate that Ehsan would appear before the military court.

The statement by the Pakistani Interior Minister was made in response to rising concerns by Senate members on the possibility of Ehsan’s release under a deal between him and Pakistani security services.

The Interior Minister added that these fears were unfounded because “security services did not intend to pardon him from the start.”



Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
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Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS

The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.

Albusaidi's statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.

A senior official of US President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday's talks had been cancelled.

Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped "the Iranians will come to the table soon," the official said.

Earlier Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called further nuclear talks with the United States “meaningless” after the Israeli strikes on the country.

“The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran’s red lines by committing a “criminal act” through its strikes.