A Pakistani court has blocked the extradition of at least five captured Afghan Taliban leaders, including top Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
Judge Khawaja Mohammad Sharif issued the order Friday after Islamist rights activist Khalid Khawaja filed a petition with the high court in Lahore. The judge said the militants should not be handed over to any other country.
One day earlier, the Afghan government said Pakistan had agreed to send Mullah Baradar and other militants to Afghanistan.
The Afghan president's office said Thursday that Pakistan had agreed to give up the militants in exchange for the return of Pakistani prisoners.
Pakistani security forces captured Mullah Baradar in a joint operation with U.S. agents. Pakistan also detained several other top Taliban members in recent weeks.
The United States has urged Pakistan to crack down on Afghan Taliban militants who use northwestern Pakistan as a base for attacks on U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.