The Jamaatul Ahrar faction of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday announced a change in leadership after their chief Maulana Qasim Khurasani and deputy chief Omer Khalid Khurasani tendered their resignations with political shura.
In a statement issued to media, TTP Jamat-ul-Ahrar asserted that the outfit’s political shura accepted the resignations and has appointed commander Asad Afridi as the acting chief.
Jamaatul Ahrar’s spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan confirmed the development, saying it was a routine matter. “According to rules and regulations, changes may be made after six months,” he said.
The faction, which parted ways with TTP in August last year, had claimed responsibility for the Wagah blast in Lahore on November 2, 2014, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 100.
Jamaatul Ahrar had also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Rawalpindi Imambargah in January this year, killing at least nine people and injuring 16. It also claimed the twin suicide bombings at two churches in Lahore on March 15 in which more than 20 people were killed.
The TTP splinter group mostly comprises Taliban insurgents operating in and around Mohmand Agency.