Pakistan has watched warily as both Iran and archrival India have expanded their influence with anti-Pakistani forces in Afghanistan — a country many in Islamabad still view as their backyard. The arrest earlier this month of Mullah Abdul Baradar, rumored Taliban deputy commander, by Pakistani authorities in Karachi has been seen as a sign of Islamabad’s desire to now dismember some of the terror networks it once helped create. Handing over Rigi may be another gesture of goodwill. “Actions like this ease pressure on India and Iran,” says Abbas. “There’s now a chance for more cooperation and coordination.”

That’s welcome news for Washington as it struggles to bring stability to Afghanistan nearly a decade since its invasion. It’s less welcome for Rigi, who now sits in an undisclosed location in Iran, at the mercy of Tehran’s interrogators.