The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar have reunited after a period of animosity, while some people from the other organization have been appointed to some of the former’s key posts.
In a statement issued by the TTP to the media, it has been stated that some time ago, a member of the ruling council, Umar Khorasani, and his associates had developed resentment between the TTP, which led to a rift.
According to the declaration, the displeasure with the efforts of the TTP leadership and the Shura has completely disappeared.
Abdul Sayed is based in Sweden and conducts research on extremist organizations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He told Independent Urdu that reconciliation between TTP and Ahrar is an important development.
Abdul Sayed said that the Ahrar faction had joined the TTP in 2020 but after the death of Khalid Khorasani in 2022, differences arose between them.
Abdul Sayed said that ‘if this reconciliation of Ahrar and TTP is successful, it will definitely have a negative impact on the security situation of Pakistan and it can accelerate attacks on security personnel?’
The differences between the TTP and the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had intensified and the first main reason for this was the death of the founding leader of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Khalid Khorasani, in Afghanistan.
Khalid Khorasani was killed by unidentified assailants in a bomb blast in Afghanistan last year, after which Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was demanding an inquiry from the TTP central council. However, in recent days, these differences have intensified when some Ahrar members were first appointed and later removed, in response to which the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar also leveled serious allegations against the current TTP chief, Mufti Noor Ali Mehsud. were planted.
In the charges, Mufti Noor Wali was accused of killing Khalid Khorasani at the Ema of Pakistan’s state institutions.
A civil society activist holds a placard with the image of former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Maulana Fazlullah during a protest in Islamabad January 16, 2015 (AFP)
Jamaat-ul-Harar was founded in 2013, when differences arose over the leadership of the TTP, and Umar Khalid Khorasani, a native of Mohmand district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, founded the party.
This faction of the TTP was considered the strongest faction during the militancy and later the group rejoined the TTP.
In the statement released by the TTP after the reconciliation, some members of Ahrar have also been given positions, including the current head of Ahrar, Umar Makram Khorasani, Sarbakif Mohmand, etc.
In the process of organizing, TTP also changed Naib Amir and Mufti Borjan Yousafzai from Malakand Division was appointed as Naib Amir.
Some members of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar have also been appointed to important positions in the new reorganization, in which the current head of Ahrar, Umar Makram Khorasani, has been appointed as the head of the so-called Southern Zone Commission.
Similarly, Asad Afridi, who was sacked by the TTP some time ago for accepting responsibility for operations from Ahrar, has been reappointed as the so-called governor of Kohat division.
On behalf of TTP, another important leader of Ahrar, Sarbakif Mohmand, has been appointed as the head of the Political Commission, while Qari Kamran, a senior leader of Ahrar, has been appointed as the head of the so-called intelligence directorate of TTP.
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Who is the new vice-emir of TTP, Mufti Barjan?
TTP Central Shura has appointed Mufti Borjan Yousafzai as Deputy Amir. In this regard, Abdul Sayed said that Mufti Borjan is one of the important and leading leaders of TTP.
He said that Mufti Borjan was the head of the Southern Zone Military Commission of TTP in 2022 and 2023.
This commission works under TTP’s ‘Ministry of Defence’ and the entire operational network of TTP in the country is divided into North and South zones. TTP’s deputy emir is the ‘defence minister’ who will now be Mufti Borjan.
Mufti Borjan was appointed as the deputy head of the so-called political commission in 2024, which is an important position that, among other things, deals with negotiations with the government, but now after becoming the deputy emir, he has stepped down from the post of the political commission. But will not stay.
Mufti Borjan was also part of the Pakistani government’s talks with the TTP starting in 2022 and some of his pictures were also revealed by Pakistani clerics.
Earlier, according to Abdul Sayed, Mufti Borjan was the head of Malakand division of TTP in 2021.