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India-Pakistan

TNSM Bajaur chief, six others lay down arms

2010-07-25

Rantburg translation [Pak Daily Times] Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi Bajaur Agency chief Dr Ismail laid down arms along with six other terrorists and announced their full support for the Pakistain Army in the war against terrorism, officials said on Saturday. According to political administration officials, Dr Ismail surrendered along with six other terrorists to the political authorities in a grand tribal jirga of the Badan tribe in Mohmand tehsil, which was held at Khar, the headquarters of the Bajaur Agency. Bajaur Scouts commander Colonel Nauman Saeed, Khar Assistant Political Agent Iqbal Khattak and other tribal elders were also present on the occasion. Addressing the jirga, Colonel Saeed said that terrorism had damaged the socio-economic life of the residents of the agency. He said that successful military operations restored peace and prosperity in the area and now it was the responsibility of the tribal elders to keep the agency free of terrorists. Colonel Saeed praised the role of the Mohmand tribes in the operation against terrorists and said the tribal elders had helped eliminate terrorists from the area. Ismail, denouncing terrorism, said, "Pakistain is our country. Bajaur Agency is our native land and we would not allow anyone to disturb the peace of the agency".

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India-Pakistan

Former TNSM Shangla leader granted bail

2010-06-30

A cleric with strong links to outlawed terrorist group Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) was allowed bail on Monday after the submission of surety bonds of Rs 50 million and guarantees of 15 "influential people" of Shangla district to the authorities. Official sources said Maulana Ahmed, prayer leader at the main Besham mosque, had been in detention since November 18, 2009. Under the terms of the release, the cleric will report to the military camp in Besham on the 14th and 28th of every month and will need prior permission if he wishes to go outside Shangla district. Maulana Ahmed is believed to be a close aide of Sufi Muhammad, father-in-law of Swat Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, and was the TNSM vice-president in Shangla. His bail follows his criticism of Fazlullah's activities in Swat and his declaration of suicide attacks being contrary to Islamic teachings. Speaking on the occasion of handing over Ahmed to local elders, Commanding Officer Col Asif said the security situation in the region deteriorated when a handful of people tried to enforce their brand of Islam on others.

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India-Pakistan

60 Taliban leaders escaped to Mideast via Karachi?

2009-10-19

Around 60 of the Taliban's second-cadre leaders -- who fled Swat during the army's 'Operation Rah-e-Rast' -- used Karachi as a transit route to head out to Middle East countries, Daily Times has learnt. When armed activists of Sindh's nationalist parties blocked roads on the Punjab-Sindh border in a bid to stop the influx of internally displaced persons -- fearing that several of them could be Taliban in disguise -- the Taliban's second-cadre leadership travelled to the provincial capital by trains and then flew to Middle Eastern states via Karachi airport. Reliable sources told Daily Times that sleeper cells of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Karachi facilitated at least 60 leaders of the Taliban and arranged for tickets to the Middle East. Some of those who travelled to the Middle East were close to Taliban leaders Muslim Khan and Maulana Fazlullah and were part of the TTP's decision-making processes because of their influence. A major chunk of the population of Malakand work as labourers in the Middle East. Early in the 1990s when Sufi Muhammad organised the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM), several people joined his organisation. After the 9/11 attacks, Sufi Muhammad took around 10,000 TNSM activists to fight American forces in Afghanistan. He was arrested on his return from Afghanistan. The TNSM lost its hold, and several of its activists left for the Middle East to find work. However, after the Taliban resurgence, most of the leaders -- some of whom were close aides of Sufi Muhammad -- came back and joined hands with the Taliban to pursue a "pious cause", collecting funds for the TTP and fighting for the extremist group. However, when the military launched an operation in Swat to flush out the Taliban this year, the group became disorganised, and those had arrived from the Middle East initially shifted to IDP camps in Peshawar. Fearing they would be caught, they then travelled in small groups to Karachi by train along with their visas and other documents, said the sources, adding that they later fled to Gulf states. The Karachi wing of the TTP -- an entity said to be well organised -- facilitated all of them. Karachi TTP: According to the sources, the Karachi TTP hosts Taliban from other provinces, and provides logistics support and recruits new members. However, the Karachi TTP has no operational wing, meaning it does not have permission to carry out any attacks. In an interview with Daily Times, Abu Talha -- name changed on request -- sitting in a mud house, surrounded by five people, two of them clean-shaven, introduced himself as the leader of the Taliban in Karachi, and said that it was "the duty of every Muslim to facilitate other Muslims". He claimed that the Taliban in Karachi were "as organised as anywhere else". Agreeing with the ideology of Hakeemullah Mehsud, he said his group would launch a struggle for Sharia even at the cost of thousands of lives. He said that the Karachi Taliban were not allowed to carry out operations. Professor Khadim Hussain, who has been researching issues of related to Taliban and militarisation, strongly believes that Karachi is the hub of Taliban activities and in the existence of sleeper cells in the city. "Most of the Taliban leaders in Malakand and Southern Punjab come from seminaries in Karachi," claimed Hussain. "After a research, we found that a major chunk of the leaders and foot soldiers in Malakand migrated to Karachi in a systematic manner after the military launched an operation," he said. "We found that the commander of Pir Baba in Buner, Shahid, migrated to Karachi along with his accomplices after the operation," he said. Law enforcement and security agencies in the city also admit that Taliban sleeping cells exist in the city. So the plan is to grow grey in the safety of working for the Saudis? That should prove educational.

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India-Pakistan

Troops arrest 10 Taliban in Swat, 8 others surrender

2009-10-08

Troops have arrested 10 more suspected Taliban in Swat, security forces said on Tuesday, as eight others surrendered. The ISPR said troops conducted a search operation in Taghan and Maira, and apprehended 10 suspected Taliban. Meanwhile, eight Taliban voluntarily surrendered to security forces in Barshaur, Biha and Chuprial. The ISPR also said that troops recovered 21 "communication sets" during a search operation in Banjir Banda. The ISPR said that the Taliban fired three mortar rounds and four rockets at the Kabutar checkpost, injuring two soldiers. Separately, a Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi commander -- identified as Badshah Zeb alias Gorkai Mullah -- surrendered to security forces in Ushari Darra area of Dir district.

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India-Pakistan

Another three sons of Sufi Muhammad arrested

2009-09-03

Law enforcement agencies on Wednesday arrested three more sons of Sufi Muhammad, chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, a private TV channel reported. The men were arrested along with their families from Peshawar's Pervaiz Colony. The channel said security officials raided a house in the locality to arrest Abdullah, Fazlullah and Abdul Rehman and moved them to an unidentified location. Sufi Muhammad has 11 sons, seven of whom are now under arrest.

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India-Pakistan

Sufi, his sons being grilled in Peshawar prison

2009-07-31

I think they're done on this side, boss. Okay. Flip em over. Intelligence agencies have started questioning Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad and his two sons at the Peshawar Central Prison. The provincial government has barred visitors from meeting Sufi and his sons in the prison as a security measure. A prison official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that the agencies had started the interrogation on Wednesday (July 29). He said agents were questioning Sufi and his sons in sessions of three to four hours.Police and intelligence agencies arrested Sufi Mohammad and his two sons, Ziaullah and Rizwanullah on July 26, from a rented house in Peshawar's Sethi Town. The TNSM chief was moved to the prison on July 27 after he and his sons were charged under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). 'Sufi Muhammad is the main culprit. He is responsible for militancy and violence in Malakand division and he will be brought to justice," Mian Iftikhar, the NWFP information minister, had said shortly after Sufi was arrested. Sufi was released from a prison in Dera Ismail Khan on April 21 last year, where he had been detained after he returned from Afghanistan after assisting the Taliban fighting international troops there. He signed a peace deal with the NWFP government on February 6 this year, leading to the brief imposition of Taliban's version of sharia in Malakand division. It wuz Sufi who said: "I just make the agreements. I don't keep 'em!"

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India-Pakistan

Sufi resurfaces in Peshawar

2009-07-26

Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad on Saturday was seen for the first time since Operation Rah-e-Rast was launched two months ago. Sufi was caught on camera by a private TV channel, showing him in a TNSM meeting in Peshawar. "Sufi left the meeting after he spotted the camera," according to the channel which said he "refused to talk" to the media. A TNSM supporter told Daily Times that Sufi had "trimmed and dyed his beard red to keep his identity secret". Meanwhile, a TNSM statement quoted Sufi as saying that he was neither arrested nor had he been in the custody of intelligence agencies.

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India-Pakistan

‘No contact with Sufi, rumours only to benefit Taliban’

2009-07-15

PESHAWAR: NWFP government has no contact with Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi>Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi chief Sufi Muhammad and such rumours will only benefit the Taliban, NWFP Informatrion Minister Iftikhar Hussain said on Tuesday. Anyone check the local ammo dump mosque? Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Iftikhar rejected the impression created by certain quarters about the government's backdoor-diplomacy with Sufi Muhammad, saying that such stories were propagated by elements wanting to strengthen militancy in the country. He said July 13 was a significant day in the country’s history, as on this day, the world's biggest wave of displaced people began moving back to their homes in a disciplined manner. "It is a day of jubilation for all of us that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have started moving back to their homes," he said, adding that the repatriation process began in an organised fashion and would culminate in accordance with the set schedule. Iftikhar said he had recently addressed a public gathering in Khwazakhela, where all bazaars were open and the people went about their lives as usual. “The response of the people gathered on the occasion was indicative of the fact that terrorists will never come back,” the minister said, adding that times had gone when the people of Swat had to give their hard-earned income as donation to the Taliban. “The minds of the people have changed in Swat and they are earnestly demanding of the government wipe out the criminals from their soil who fooled them in the name of Islam, slaughtered the innocent desecrated corpses and ruined public property,” Iftikhar said. The information minister said that government would increase the strength of the police force and in order to avoid the re-emergence of the Taliban. Oh that's going to work well. The local coppe shoppe would never canoodle with the Talibs ...

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India-Pakistan

TNSM Swat chief held in Peshawar

2009-06-10

Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) Swat chief and two other suspects were arrested from Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Tuesday, sources said. Iqbal Khan, who belongs to Matta area of Swat, was the district emir of the TNSM, while the other two suspects are his relatives. They were staying in a rented house in Phase-IV of the Hayatabad locality.

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India-Pakistan

Govt rejects TNSM offer for talks

2009-05-16

LAHORE: The NWFP government has rejected an offer of peace talks to end fighting in the Swat valley. "Sorry, President Zardari, but we don't have the facilities to take the entire government prisoner." Senior Minister Afrasiab Khattak told Bloomberg on Friday the Taliban have repeatedly reneged on earlier peace accords. "They never had the intention of laying down arms," he said. The Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi>Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, which negotiated the February accord, said on Friday it was ready for talks to end the fighting. Khattak, however, dismissed the offer, saying the TNSM had "no authority" over Fazlullah, who commands the Taliban forces in Swat. That's likely true ... They're the same outfit. One's the political wing, one's the military wing. The military wing's the one in control.

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India-Pakistan

'No contact with Sufi since operation began'

2009-05-11

The Awami National Party (ANP) on Sunday said it had temporarily stopped communicating with Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad until the military concludes its operation against the Taliban. "There is no contact between our party and the TNSM since the military began its operation. We tried to implement the Nizam-e-Adl in Malakand but Sufi failed to restore peace in the area," ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan told Daily Times. That's because Sufi had no intention of restoring peace, dumbass. He said he had talked to people close to the TNSM chief last week to condole the death of Sufi's son, but there was no communication between the ANP-led provincial government and Sufi after the federal government announced to launch a military operation in Swat. "We have not closed our doors for talks with Sufi. We will again negotiate with the people and the TNSM chief," he added. Operation: Khan made it clear that the ANP would not talk to Sufi until the military operation against the Taliban was over. "Sufi has failed to control those taking up arms and challenging the government's writ and he will now be contacted only after the government establishes its writ." "Only then will we surrender!" To another question, Khan said the provincial government would implement the Nizam-e-Adl after it takes control of Swat. He said the ANP was committed to setting up the Darul Qaza appellate courts in Malakand, but it was unfair to demand that the appointments be made by Sufi Muhammad. Meanwhile, ANP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Haji Muhammad Adeel said the implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl was a popular demand, but was directly dependant on peace in the area. Hostage: Adeel said he believed the Taliban did not follow Sufi's orders. "Sufi had fallen hostage to the Taliban. I believe all this was beyond his capacity," he said. His son in law is the commander of the Swat Talibs. He's been on their side from the beginning: political wing, military wing. What's so complicated about that? He criticised Sufi for demanding appointment of qazis of his choice, adding the TNSM chief had used the issue as an excuse to retreat from the peace deal. Adeel said the authority to halt the military action lay with the federal government and the ANP would fully support the Centre for restoring pace in the area. "It is futile to interact with Sufi right now... we continued negotiations with Sufi for a year but he failed to fulfil his promises," Adeel added.

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India-Pakistan

JI bitches about killing of TNSM chief's son

2009-05-09

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday condemned the killing of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi chief Sufi Muhammad's son by security forces in Lower Dir. JI, NWFP, chief Sirajul Haq told a news conference here that Sufi Muhammad's son was killed in his house, which was a commendable act. He accused security forces of targeting civilian population in Maidan and Adenzai. "Innocent people including women and children are being killed in Dir, Swat and Buner during the military operation. "Bodies are lying on the streets and in the fields as people are denied their burial," he said. The JI leader said the operation had caused over one million displacements in the area. He said the operation was initiated to please the US. He demanded immediate halt to military offensive and that the government appoint Sufi Muhammad's proposed qazis in Malakand Division.

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