Mehsud’s elimination

Pakistan government must remain on guard

The inflexible and ruthless militant TTP honcho, Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed in a drone strike. Under his watch, the TTP had conducted some of the most gruesome operations. In the attack on Parade Lane mosque 36 persons including 17 children were killed. Attacks on minorities including Christians, Ahmadis and Shias intensified. Military installations, assets and army personnel became the favourite target, leading many to suspect that the attacks were being conducted on the behest of foreign enemies. A day before Mehsud’s death, the TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid had once again called for the release of each TTP killers incarcerated in Pakistani jails and the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas to prove the government’s serious intent about talks, knowing well that no government could ever do that.

The TTP Shura has now elected Khan Said Sajna aka Khalid as the new chief. Sajna being a nominee of Waliur Rehman group was expected to be appointed second in command after Wali died in a drone strike in May this year. Hakimullah however selected his own confidant Latifullah Mehsud, rejecting Wali’s favourite. Latifullah being the next in command may have replaced Hakimulah if he had not been captured by the US while in Afghanistan to negotiate a deal with the Afghan intelligence. Abdullah Behar who was his replacement died alongside Hakimullah Mehsud in the Friday’s strike. Keeping in view the differences in the TTP, also reflected in the voting pattern, it remains to be seen if the new chief is accepted by all groups.

Pakistan had no role in the killing of the TTP chief. The militant leader’s keenness for publicity was responsible for putting him in the crosshairs of the US security agencies. In November 2009 Mehsud owned that he had orchestrated the attack which killed seven CIA officers and contractors in Khost. A few months later Faisal Shehzad, sentenced in the attempted Times Square bombing case, confessed to having received training and funds from the Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan. Washington subsequently announced a reward of $5million for information leading to Mehsud’s arrest. He had already survived a drone attack. What happened on Friday therefore was not unexpected. While his death might initially lead to calls for revenge, the departure of a hardliner might make negotiations with the militants easier in the long-run. The government needs to act carefully. It would not be in Pakistan’s interest if the incident was to lead to deterioration in relations with the US.