PESHAWAR – The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on Saturday claimed killing Col (r) Sultan Amir Tarar, also known as Col Imam. A spokesman for TTP Ahsanullah Ahsan told reporters over phone from an undisclosed location that they had killed Col Imam after the government’s failure to meet their demands, including the release of their colleagues.
Col Imam was a former officer of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and well connected in the former jihadi circles and claimed to have close associate with Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Omar. He was said to be the architect of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in the early 1990s. He was taken hostage while travelling to North Waziristan with Khalid Khwaja, a former spymaster, and a British born Pakistani TV journalist Asad Qureshi.
They were apparently on way to North Waziristan to film a documentary about drone attack victims. Khwaja was killed last year and Qureshi was reportedly released after providing ransom. However, tribal sources in Miranshah said Col Imam was killed a long while ago, but the announcement was delayed on purpose.
TTP has also released a new video of Col Imam and Islamia College University Peshawar vice chancellor, where the latter also pleaded the government and his well-wishers to help secure his release. “My captors may decide my fate shortly, as I have very short time left and the government is unmoved on their demands,” he said in the latest video.
Meanwhile, sources in the TTP said Ashiqullah Mehsud had replaced Qari Hussain as Hakimullah Mehsud’s deputy and would train suicide bombers in place of Hussain, now believed dead.
TTP claims killing Colonel Imam
