Pakistani Taliban only loyal to Mullah Omar, says TTP spokesperson

Rejects the media reports that the group has declared allegiance to IS

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban said on Sunday that they have declared allegiance only to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Afghan Taliban supremo, rejecting the media reports that the group has declared allegiance to the Islamic State.

"We are loyal to Ameer-ul-Momineen (Mullah Omar) and question does not arise to withdraw from his allegiance," Shahidullah Shahid, spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said.

Clarifying his earlier reported comments about allegiance to the Islamic State, Shahid said the TTP had only commended the group.

"We had only praised the Islamic State and advised them to set aside differences and show unity," the TTP spokesperson told The Express Tribune in a late Sunday email.

Shahid said the TTP will also issue a clarification about remarks attributed to him.

The TTP chief Mullah Fazaullah on Saturday had praised the Islamic State and assured its complete support in his Eid message.

Declaring those who are fighting in Iraq and Syria as brothers, he said, “We are proud of their victories and advise them at this difficult time to forge unity, especially when the enemy stands united against them."

The message was sent to the media in Pashto, Urdu and Arabic languages via email. It is the first time the Pakistani Taliban issued message on the eve of Eid like the Afghan Taliban, who regularly issues Eid messages.

Fazalullah urged the Islamic State fighters to fight against the “world infidel force with unity and to set aside differences.”

"A lot of hopes have been attached to the land of Iraq and Syria. We are with you at this difficult moment,” the Taliban leader said.

In his message, Fazlullah had declared that the Pakistani Taliban does not recognize the Durand Line, which separates Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We want to declare that we do not accept the Durand Line, which has divided the Pashtoon Muslims like the Berlin Wall. It has separated father from son, brother from brother and relatives," he said.

“We do not accept boundaries and international borders. We accept only one border and that is the boundary between Darul Islam and Darul Harb."

He referred to the rare pace dialogue with the government earlier this year and claimed that the government was “responsible for its failure.”

“The peace talks were failed as the Taliban demanded enforcement of the Islamic Sharia; however, the "westernized rulers" were unwilling to accept the demand.”

"The rulers were insisting the talks should be held under the Pakistani constitution. We were calling for Quran and Sunnah should be the base for the talks but they preferred the constitution."

He said the Taliban faced military operations but did not deviate from its stance, adding the Taliban will not sign any such deal which is a contrary to this principle.