- With Mullah Omar missing in action for the past three years, rifts develop within Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan on the expected succession of Omar’s brother Hotak as the Taliban chief
- Hotak made chief of Emirate Islami Afghanistan’s military wing, special advisor to supreme leader
- Leading Taliban leaders oppose Hotak’s appointment on vital slots, Maulvi Akbar Agha forms new group
PESHAWAR
SHAMIM SHAHID
A foreign media outfit has reported the absence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar Akhund from his office, citing that he has neither attended his office’s meetings for the last three years nor he has been seen elsewhere, suggesting that either he has been killed, imprisoned or removed from the chairmanship of Emirate Islami Afghanistan (EIA).
Monthly Tanveer, mouthpiece of Hizbe Islami Afghanistan (HIA), headed by Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar, in its latest issue No 52 of May 2014, made a comprehensive report regarding the Taliban leader’s absence and consequent appointment for the slot.
The report of Monthly Tanveer, which is regularly published from an unidentified place and distributed amongst the HIA circles both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, also states that Mullah Agha Jan Mutaesim and late Maulvi Abdul Raqeeb like several other Taliban leaders have confirmed that no one had witnessed Omar in the last three years.
OMAR’S BROTHER COMES IN AS EIA’S MILITARY’S CHIEF:
In the backdrop of Omar’s disappearing act, his brother Maulvi Abdul Manan Hotak was recently made the chief of EIA’s military wing and was also given the position of a special advisor.
However, leading Taliban leaders including Agha Jan Mutaesim and Maulvi Akbar Agha have opposed Hotak’s posting at the vital slots.
The cover story of Tanveer is pertaining to the election of Sirajul Haq as the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. In this respect, pictures of Haq with HIA chief Hekmatyar and Ustad Qareebur Rahman Saeed have been published in the issue.
According to Tanveer, after the resignation of Maulvi Abdul Qayoom Zakir, Hotak was made as the head of the military wing and chief advisor to the supreme leader. However, nothing has been mentioned about the presence of a decree on Omar’s part. Even his name has not been mentioned in the case pertaining to change of hands.
Moreover, it is reported that Abdul Raqeeb was assassinated when he suggested the nomination of another elder while Zakir was removed from his post when he had opposed the posting of Maulvi Abdul Manan as advisor.
In fact, the HIA published Tanveer believes that Hotak is likely to be declared as the successor of Omar as after getting his hands on a vital post, he will be the new EIA chief and would exercise all political and military powers. However, according to the monthly magazine the leadership of Taliban is being monopolised by a single family.
HOTAK FACING THE HEAT:
Although Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan is now being converted into a pure political group as it has opened its offices in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kabul, Quetta and Qandahar but an influential group headed by Mustaesim Agha is opposing the handing over of its leadership to Hotak.
In the meanwhile, leading Taliban leader Maulvi Akbar Agha has established another group; Da Khalasoon Laar [way to liberation], and has opened its office in Kabul.
Maulvi Akbar Agha, according to Tanveer, has recently chaired a meeting of his new group attended by a large number of clerics and commanders, earlier associated with the Tehreek.