The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has rejected any rift among their ranks and have said that there is no plan to replace Hakimullah Mehsud with Waliur Rehman as new chief of the outlawed organisation.
The Pakistani Taliban spokesman Eshanullah Eshan said: “The reports have no truth, we held the main shura meeting two weeks back in North Waziristan Agency and all the 42 members or their representatives attended the meeting chaired by Hakimullah Mehsud which is sufficient enough to rebuff reports of any change in TTP top slot.”
Replying to a query Eshanullah, who claimed to have also attended that meeting, said: “Waliur Rehman and all the other top leadership from Mohmand, Bajaur, Dara Adamkhel and the rest of Pakistan had attended the meeting and reposed confidence in Hakimullah Mehsud besides discussing organisational affairs of the TTP.”
However the TTP spokesman acknowledged that only Mualana Fazlullah, Taliban chief of Malakand was absent from the meeting and that he had sent his representative to attend the shura meeting in his place as he is not allowed to travel due to security concerns.
Ehsan also rejected the claim by a foreign news agencies report that Waliur Rehman has been in touch with the administration and there is a plan he would be entering into some agreement with the government and starting rebellion against Hakimullah Meshud.
About the change in TTP leadership, Ehsanullah remarked: “Until our amir is following the Shariah laws and talking decisions according to the Islamic Shariah, no one is going to defect or rise against him and the reports in this regard are merely a propaganda.”
He also ruled out any truce with the administration, who according to Ehsan, was following dictates from abroad.
Answering another query about Hakimullah’s relations with Waliur Rehman and Mulana Fazlullah, he said: “There is no problem at all.”
While discussing the US withdrawal and the transportation of military hardware back to the United States via Pakistani land route, Ehsanullah said: “We are waiting for this target since long and have already planned to destroy it,” adding that “There is no doubt that this stuff will not go back in one piece, the US and their Pakistani counterparts are one and the same for the TTP and would be targeted alike.”