ISTANBUL — Afghan and Pakistani leaders agreed on Tuesday to conduct a joint investigation into the assassination in September of the leader of Afghanistan’s peace process.
Burhanuddin Rabbani, the leader of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council and a former president, was killed by an assassin who posed as a peace emissary from the Taliban and had hidden explosives in his turban. After being ushered into Mr. Rabbani’s home in Kabul, Afghanistan, the man embraced Mr. Rabbani and
then exploded the bomb, killing him and dealing a potentially devastating blow to the Afghan government’s effort to reconcile with the Taliban and end 10 years of war.
The agreement to conduct the joint inquiry came during a meeting here of Afghan, Pakistani and Turkish leaders. President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan said he hoped that the investigation would enhance relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, the assassination of Mr. Rabbani has thrown the whole exercise into a serious difficulty; it almost ended the negotiations between us,” Mr. Karzai said in a news conference, adding that he hoped the investigation would “lead us to more fruitful and in-depth continuation of partnership between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The Taliban’s leaders are based in Pakistan, and Afghan officials say they believe that the assassin was an emissary from the Taliban.
Mr. Karzai, who cut off additional talks with the Taliban after the assassination, ruled out an early resumption of efforts to communicate with the militants.
“We have been hurt badly,” Mr. Karzai said. “Our desire for peace has been either misunderstood or misused, and we have learned a lesson from the manner in which we pursued the peace process.”
In a gesture of good will, the three nations signed agreements to cooperate on military exercises.
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