Change of heart: TTP faction warns participants of consequences
As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vows to go ahead with the planned ‘peace march’ to South Waziristan, the Mujahideen Jaishul Khilafa (MJK), an offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), warned of consequences if the march is undertaken.
The MJK, on Friday, distributed pamphlets in Tank district, near Waziristan, warning participants of PTI’s ‘peace march’ that they would be responsible for any loss of “life or money” caused during the rally.
Contradicting the warning, PTI’s media coordinator Tahir Jamil said that the party had not received direct threats from any militant organisation active in the tribal region. However, he added he would be able to clarify the party’s stance on MJK’s threat soon.
The pamphlet, titled “Imperative warning and announcement”, described PTI chief Imran Khan as an agent of Israel, United States and Britain, who wanted to strengthen the hold of “Jewish and Christian forces” in the tribal area of Pakistan.
In the statement, the MJK lambasted Khan’s march to South Waziristan, terming it a “pack of lies” and stating that he only wanted to make the tribal region a stronghold of foreign forces in the garb of raising voice against drone attacks.
TTP factions plan to target PTI march: Officials
Meanwhile, officials of the interior ministry said that some factions of the TTP were planning to target PTI’s rally. Officials told The Express Tribune that terrorists were planning to target PTI’s top leadership and foreigners who will be participating in the rally.
A senior official of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) of the interior ministry, tasked to look after security arrangements of the rally, confirmed that the PTI is under threat from some militant elements.
However, when The Express Tribune contacted the Crisis Management Cell of the interior ministry, its in-charge Brigadier Javed Iqbal Lodhi neither confirmed nor denied the news, citing his leave as a reason for his inability to confirm anything.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
TTP is clearly afraid of their exposure as dummies.