Former Taliban Ambassador Seeks Asylum in Pakistan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 24, 2001

Former Taliban Ambassador Seeks Asylum in Pakistan

Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, said Sunday that he has applied for asylum out of fear of persecution in Afghanistan.

Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, said Sunday that he has applied for asylum out of fear of persecution in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has not yet responded to the application, submitted two weeks ago, Zaeef told The Associated Press.

"I'll go back to Afghanistan when the situation improves, but it is dangerous from me to go there now," he said.

No immediate comment was available from Pakistan, which has said it provided a reasonable time for Zaeef and his staff to pack up and leave.

From Islamabad, Zaeef fought the Taliban's media war against the U.S.-led coalition until Pakistan ordered him not to use its soil against a third country.

Pakistan shut the Taliban embassy in November after the repressive militia was routed by the U.S.-led coalition and anti-Taliban Afghan forces.

Pakistan, once a close ally of the Taliban, deserted them after they refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect of September's terrorist attacks in the United States.

Pakistan has recognized the new interim Afghan government and is trying to improve relations with its neighbor.

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