Afghanistan's envoy to Pakistan today met an influential Islamist cleric and asked him to support the peace and reconciliation in his war-torn country.
Ambassador Janan Mosazai in his official tweet confirmed that he met Maulana Samiul Haq and "told him about Afghanistan's all-out peace efforts".
Haq better known as "father of the Taliban" runs the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary at Akora Khattak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and hundreds of Taliban fighters are graduates of his religious school.
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The Afghan envoy told media after the meeting that religious leaders can play their role in peace in his country.
A spokesman for Haq confirmed the one-on-one meeting which focused on the "problems faced by Afghanistan".
It was the first meeting of a high-ranking Afghan official after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, with the man who supports the Taliban and their activities.
Haq has already supported dead Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar's successor Mullah Mansoor and has urged the militants to mend their internal differences.
It is not clear how Haq can play a role in Afghan peace efforts but there is no dispute that he enjoys considerable influence in jihadi circles.
In fact, all militants using Haqqani with their names are ex-students of his seminary.
