Hakimullah Mehsud group’s spokesperson says Sajna’s pullout won’t affect the Taliban. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The Hakimullah Mehsud faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has said the TTP led by Mullah Fazlullah is serious about negotiating a peace agreement in South Waziristan Agency if the government shows seriousness.
“If the government shows it is serious in pursuing talks, then we, under the TTP leadership, are also serious about holding talks to restore peace in South Waziristan,” Haji Daud, the spokesman for the Hakimullah Mehsud faction, said on Sunday.
The Shehryar Mehsud-led faction has fought bloody clashes with a rival faction – Waliur Rehman Group, led by Khan Said, aka Sajna – since April. Since then, dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed in clashes. Last week, the Sajna faction broke away split from the TTP, accusing the group of criminality.
The government’s nascent peace initiative had hit a deadlock due to the TTP infighting, though Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had insisted that they expected some headway from a second round of talks with the TTP Political Shura. However, the two sides could not set the date and time for a second face-to-face meeting between their negotiators.
On Wednesday, Sajna’s spokesman Azam Tariq announced the separation of the Waliur Rehman Group from the TTP. In his statement, he accused the TTP of involvement in armed robberies and extortion, and claimed the group had “fallen prey to conspiracies hatched by an organised gang”.
The government has not commented on the split – and it’s yet to be seen how this would affect the government’s peace initiative.
Daud, however, said the split would not affect the TTP. “Khan Said only has a limited number of fighters,” he told reporters via telephone from an undisclosed location. “His [Sajna’s] separation from the TTP is a trick by Pakistan’s secret agencies to weaken us.”
“Such conspiracies will be defeated by the TTP,” he said.
Daud said the Hakimullah Mehsud Group was still ready to make peace with Sajna despite his separation from the TTP. “We have confidence and trust in Mullah Fazlullah and the TTP leadership, and will follow their instructions the same way we followed Hakimullah Mehsud,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2014.
COMMENTS (23)
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Are you not the same Pakistanis that promised a thousand cuts to India. How does it feel that the ones that you bred to harm India have now turned on you? Thanks to your establishment, Bangladesh was born. Shortly, Baluchistan, FATA, etc will give birth courtesy of your establishment yet again.
land on both sides of durand line is bleeding from the last 35 years leaving around ten million dead,similar number injured and criffeled and equal number have been displaced and migrated to all parts of the world but greater concentration has taken place in Pakistan .roughly 85 global intelligence agencies filled the stage and helped in more bleeding. now people at global stage are of the opinion that diplomatic objectives can,t be any more achieved through gorilla warfare. i think we should conclude peace with Taliban and help in stopping bleeding of more Pakistanis, whether pathan or others.this is beyond comprehension if a bleeding nation can prosper.
@hmmm, Well said brother.. Though don't be surprised if Indian intelligence tries to get over this issue.. India is using Pakistani lands for it's own terrorist and hegemonic agenda.
They are taking the GoP for the ride of their lives!
so qasnt khan right all the time when he said seperate pro peace & pro pakistan gps from foriegn agents who are exploiting locals? not a single aanchor or jorno who called him taliban khan has got shame to apologize? mehaud gp will go back to default & the foriegn millitants wont ve place to hide
Yes on one condition first hand over Mullah Fazlullah
So isi was controlling sajna group to start with? Havent we learnt enough lessons of playing dirty?
Well done ISI.
Other than self serving their paranoia the US cares very little of what it does about the mess it leaves. The mess will be localized mess, unable to manifest properly into an incident internationally. It is more interested in protecting against even an imaginary enemy for decades to come.The drones will make sure these people keep running around saving their lives and the $'s will keep them switching sides to jihad where American troops are not suited to kick out unhelpful governments. I somehow understand that. If this country was productive enough to get anywhere it would not affect us this badly. Its all about the money. If I was them I would have done it no different, I doubt I would be smart like that and would have burned this world to the ground with that kind of fire power.
@Aschraful Makhlooq:
Those who wage wars, do not want peace but to force their will over others. Resistance will always triumph at the end over Force. This is what the scriptures say and this is hunan history.
Rex Minor
Hunt out these vermin while they're at their weakest. The only logical conclusion to these so-called 'peace talks' is either a temporary ceasefire during which they reorganize and recover or fulfillment of their demands, i.e. establishment of a state within a state (and its inevitable expansion).
This is the best possible way to tackle this menace that has plagued our country since the Afghan invasion of 2002. Separate these Talibans from the ones which are being funded by foreign intelligence agencies, then eliminate them with the help of these pro Pakistan groups & via our army. Soon things will be in control & then we'll flush out the handlers sitting in Afghanistan which is our ultimate goal for peace in Afghanistan & Pakistan. I'm sure India is really worried about its future in Afghanistan, sorry to tell you this but your time is up.
Remember that one person used to say " Disengage, isolate, negotiate, exterminate" ..and we used to call him "Taliban Khan"... I guess he foresaw this...
Thats a huge slap on the anti-negotiators right here. War unites them. Talks split them and weaken them.What part of that dont you get?
Great news. Army should have dialogue with them. This is the only solution
Great news. Army should have dialogue with them. This is the only solution
Movie 'waar' has got it absolutely right ... foreign funded projects executed by terrorists.
Why should there be negotiations. All of these should eradicated.
No negotiations with these beasts. Army must not let them go rather kill them as they have killed our loved ones. Finish them once and for all. We don't want their negotiations.
Wah! Pakistan Army has handled this case very well indeed. With the US minimizing and leaving the Afghan theater, the responsibility will fall on Pakistan to make sure that all is well and a 'live and let live' policy is followed. The Taliban; good or bad as the semantics describe, must be quite fed up of fighting having lost a generation since 1979 and a second one under arms. let peace prevail and reign over our hearts and minds AND IN KARACHI AS WELL. Salams
Thru war the peace nothing can never be achieved and history has proven it because US and NATO first entered Vietnam then Iraq and now Afghanistan for peace but have badly failed to achieve their target of peace and on gunpoint Shariat also can never be implemented.Peace talks must have to be given opportunities for peace instead of war and both parties have to show honesty,sincerity and practicability in this regard and have to join hands for peace with each others so that peaceful atmosphere could be seen every where in Pakistan and Pakistan could be a peaceful state for every one.....
If ISI did this division, then my respect.