Back in the fold: Senior dissident swears allegiance to Mullah Mansoor

Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir formerly headed Taliban’s powerful military commission

ISLAMABAD:

A senior Afghan Taliban dissident has sworn allegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the successor of Mullah Omar, in a move that analysts believe will strengthen the position of the new chief whose ascendency has created schisms in the ultraorthodox militia.

Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, the former head of the Taliban’s powerful military commission, had boycotted a meeting that had elected Mullah Mansoor to step into the shoes of Mullah Omar in August, last year, when it was officially confirmed the longtime elusive Taliban leader had died two years ago.



“Honourable Mullah Akhtar Mansoor is our leader. I have declared allegiance to him under Sharia," Zakir said in a hand-written letter released to the media on Wednesday. A copy of the letter, also released by the Taliban, is available with The Express Tribune.

Mullah Mansoor had sacked Zakir as the chief of the Taliban’s military commission in 2014. The two had developed differences after Zakir revealed in an internal meeting that Mullah Omar was dead but the Taliban were keeping it secret.

Zakir was among those who had opposed Mullah Mansoor’s ascendency. “However, a group of negotiators convinced him to drop his opposition and swear allegiance to Mullah Omar’s successor,” a Taliban leader told The Express Tribune.

Dissidents had offered Zakir leadership of their breakaway faction, now led by Mullah Muhammad Rasool, but he excused. He largely kept a low profile in recent months and condemned infighting in the Taliban.

“I will remain obedient to the new leader in line with Sharia," Zakir said, adding he had some reservations after the death of Mullah Omar was made public as he wanted “improvement of the system and unity of the movement in view of difficulties.”

He added that the leadership has addressed his reservations – following which he decided to pledge allegiance to Mullah Mansoor.

Afghan experts believe the Taliban leadership has so far persevered in its efforts to woo back dissidents, which is now paying off.

Nazar Mutmaeen, a Kabul-based analyst, said Zakir was a military man and had commanded fighters on different fronts since the launch of the Taliban movement in the early 1990s. “Zakir’s decision will give a boost to the military position of the Taliban and will help Mullah Mansoor to strengthen his control,” he told The Express Tribune.

Some Taliban sources said that the breakaway faction chief, Mullah Rasool, was also willing to submit to Mullah Mansoor’s leadership, but changed his mind later on. The breakaway faction, according to many Taliban, has a tacit support of the Afghan government institutions. Mullah Rasool was arrested in Pakistan this month after he fled the Taliban infighting in southern Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.