ROME, Oct 26 (Reuters) The son of the former Afghan king confirmed today that the Taliban had seized a top leader of the Afghan opposition in exile and appealed to the hardline Kabul regime to spare the life of the famed commander.
The Afghan Islamic Press reported earlier that Abdul Haq, a renowned Mujahid , holy warrior , was seized by Taliban troops while he was on a mission inside Afghanistan to gather support for a peace plan put forward by the ex-king.
"Unfortunately, we have received confirmation from people close to him that he has indeed been taken," said Mir Wais Zahir, youngest son of the 87-year old Mohammad Zahir Shah.
"We appeal to the Taliban to spare his life," he told Reuters, adding, "this is a blow to my fathers peace plan." Zahir Shah, who has lived in exile in Rome since being ousted from the Afghan throne in 1973, is seeking to build a broad-based government of national unity to replace the Taliban.