ISLAMABAD - n a major blow to Maulana Fazlullah-led Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan, Maulana Qasim Khurassani has announced to form a new militant outfit, Jamaat-ul-Ihraar (JuI) comprising senior commanders of the TTP.
Maulana Qasim Khurassani is one of the founding TTP leaders and head of the Swat-based group. “The TTP is declining day by day, as some of the commanders are misusing their powers for their vested interests and the real mujahedeen were sidelined. They have hijacked the movement. Despite our objections, no action was taken against them, so we formed the JuI that will not only unite the mujahedeen but also strive for the implementation Islamic Shariah in the country. We’ll follow the pattern of Mullah Omar-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghan Taliban),” he said in a video message sent to The Nation.
According to Maulana Qasim, earlier when they formed ‘Ihrar ul Hind (IuH)’ it attracted a large number of militant commanders from different parts of the tribal areas. He said that after the joining of a large number of militants, the name of the group was changed from IuH to JuI. “We are all from the TTP, despite it has been hijacked by some unpopular group, so we love the name and it is the reason that we have named the new group as JuI-TTP,” he added.
According to well-placed Taliban sources, more than 70 percent senior members of Maulana Fazlullah-led TTP have joined the newly-formed JuI. Regional groups of the TTP like Swat, Charsadda, Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, Orakzai Agency, Khyber Agency and Kurram Agency have announced their support to Maulana Qasim Khurassani, the Ameer of JuI.
Omar Khalid Khurassani, the head of TTP Mohmand Group, has merged his group into JuI and currently he is one of the key members of JuI Shura. His group was the first one that objected the ‘misuse of power’ by some TTP commanders.
According to Omar Khurassani, there was limitless power for the TTP regional commanders and they were “unchallenged” authorities. “The regional commanders were enjoying unlimited power. Neither they could be removed not held accountable, so they used their positions illegally”, said Omar Khalid Khurassani and he added “Unless and until Pakistani Taliban did not follow the pattern of Afghan Taliban, they could not establish unity amongst their ranks”.
Shakeel Ahmad Haqqani, currently leader of militants in Charsadda and ex-Ameer of TTP central Shura has also joined JuI along with his followers. “The wrong policies of the TTP resulted in infighting and bloodshed amongst the militants. To avoid such situation in future, we formed JuI which is the real representative of Mujahedeen in Pakistan; all the members are sincere and they are not power-thirsty”, he said in his message on the occasion of the formation of JuI.
Ihsanullah Ihsan, ex-central TTP spokesperson, has joined the group as media coordinator while Maulana Haider Mansoor of Orakzai agency will work as nazim e Shura. At the same way Maulana Abdullah ex-reprehensive of the TTP in Bajaur, Mufti Misbah TTP commander in Peshawar and TTP chapters of Khyber and Kurram Agencies have announced their allegiance to JuI. According to the policy of the group, no regional Taliban commander will be all in all in making decisions and these leaders would be responsible to the regional Shuras.
Amongst the main objectives of JuI are, the formation Islamic Shariah in Pakistan and struggle for the establishment Islamic Caliphate in the word. It considers the killing of innocent people as sin. The freedom of all imprisoned Muslims around the world is one of its described duties.