With the lifetime Pakistani passport and identity card of the Taliban deputy prime minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar surfacing under a fake name, it is now quite evident that the Pakistani ISI is the driving force behind the military occupation of Kabul by the Sunni Pashtun forces. Pakistan had issued Baradar’s national identity card in the name of Muhammad Arif Agha, son of Syed M Nazeer Agha.

The lifetime identity card, with serial number 42201-5292460-5, was issued on July 10, 2014. Baradar’s date of birth has been mentioned as the year 1963. The national identity card was duly signed by the registrar general of Pakistan. The Pakistani passport number of Baradar is GF680121. The issue date of passport and national identity card was the same.

Pakistan has been long accused of covertly providing support to the Taliban militarily, financially and with intelligence in their fight against Afghan defence forces, which Islamabad has repeatedly dismissed as baseless.

According to Kabul watchers, Mullah Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban with Mullah Omar, use to stay in Pakistan’s Quetta and was part of the leadership council, or Shura, of the Islamist force. Mullah Baradar, also known as Muhammad Arif Agha, along with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, was heading the negotiating team at the Taliban’s political office in Doha, Qatar. The duo was negotiating with another Afghan origin Pashtun and US national Zalmay Khalilzad with the support of the Qatari government.

While it is understood that many of the Taliban leaders carry Pakistani passports and identity cards, it is still not clear whether the Taliban’s chief Hibatullah Akhundzada had Pakistani citizenship. Despite reports of Mullah Akhundzada being in Kabul, no one has seen the shadowy cleric. Akhundzada used to live in Pakistan cantonment in Karachi under heavy protection. On the other hand, Mullah Baradar, a UN-designated global terrorist, was captured by American intelligence forces in Karachi in 2010 and remained in Pakistani custody for several days.