Pakistan's Release of Taliban Prisoners—An Empty Deal

Last month, the Pakistani government quietly let seven captured Taliban combatants walk out of prison, ostensibly to breathe new life into peace talks. This was the second such release of Taliban prisoners in two months and one of many that has occurred over the past year.

In total, Islamabad has reportedly released almost 40 Taliban combatants at the request of Afghan officials—including a senior Taliban commander, Mansoor Dadullah, and one of the Taliban's founding members, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. While these prisoner releases have gone largely unnoticed in the United States, they are important reminders of broader problems with ongoing attempts to negotiate with the Taliban. The Taliban get something they want—legitimacy and the release of senior leaders—and provide nothing in return, slighting the Afghan public in the process....

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