Tag: TTP

  • TTP terror activities should be concerning for Afghan Taliban says Rana Sanaullah

    TTP terror activities should be concerning for Afghan Taliban says Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanullah has said that the involvement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) militants in terror activities inside Pakistan should be a matter of concern for the Afghan Taliban as it is dangerous for regional peace.

    Addressing a press conference, Rana Sanaullah said that the rise in terror activities is alarming but the situation is not out of control.

    “TTP is enjoying all sorts of facilities in Afghanistan,” the minister said, a day after the banned outfit claimed an attack in Quetta in which a policeman, a woman, and two children were killed, while 26 people, including 23 cops and two children, were injured. Sanaullah has also asked the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to address terrorism before the federal government takes the matter in its hands.

    Police have said that a truck of Frontier Constabulary (FC) was targeted in the Quetta explosion. Injured cops and civilians were rushed to a nearby hospital.

    Emergency responders and police rushed to the scene to provide rescue assistance. Police confirmed that 16 members of Balochistan constabulary also suffered multiple injuries.

    TTP has claimed the attack. This is the third attack by the militant organisation since they announced an end to ceasefire on Monday.

  • Suicide attack by TTP on FC truck leaves two dead, 23 injured

    Suicide attack by TTP on FC truck leaves two dead, 23 injured

    An explosion in Quetta’s Baleli area on Tuesday left one policeman and one child dead. The explosion also left 23 people injured including 20 police men.

    Police said that a truck of Frontier Constabulary (FC) was targeted in the explosion. They said that the injured cops and civilians were rushed to a nearby hospital.

    Emergency responders and police rushed to the scene to provide rescue assistance. Police said, adding 16 Balochistan constabulary also suffered multiple injuries.

    Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed the attack. This is the third attack by the militant organisation since they announced an end to ceasefire on Monday.

  • ‘Prepare to die’: KP minister Atif Khan gets extortion letter from TTP

    ‘Prepare to die’: KP minister Atif Khan gets extortion letter from TTP

    The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has allegedly sent a letter to Minister for Science and Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Atif Khan, demanding he pay Rs.8 million within three days or prepare to get killed.

    “You know who we are and what we want. We know you very closely and have all your data and records because you are on TTP Mardan’s wanted list and your turn has come,” the letter reads, as shared by Dawn.

    “Thus, you will have to either fulfill our demand to exit this list, or you will lose your life. Our demand is for Rs.8 million. We want an answer within three days,” the threatening letter stated.

    “The way ransom [letters] come normally … some people have received them,” Khan said, confirming that he had received the letter while talking to media on Wednesday.

    The minister said he had shared the letter with all security agencies and now the onus for taking action was on them.

    Later, the outlawed group rejected the reports that it had sent the letter to the minister, saying that it was “fake”.

    The incident comes amid renewed concerns about increasing militancy and TTP’s resurgence in the country’s northern areas.

  • Protesting terror: Swat Valley has had enough

    Protesting terror: Swat Valley has had enough

    The people of Swat have already witnessed enough bloodshed. The people of Swat were displaced. Peace returned in 2009. In the blink of an eye, the situation turned into chaos where despite the presence of a large number of security forces, the Taliban entered, resettled, and sabotaged peace in the region.

    Earlier this month, one man was killed while two students were injured when unidentified militants opened fire on a school van in Charbagh tehsil. This incident of violence gripped the valley, prompting citizens to take to the streets against the rising tide of insurgency. The incident brought back memories of the attack on the then-school girl Malala Yousafzai, on October 9, 2012, who survived a gun attack by Taliban gunmen nearly a decade ago. Though militants had been behind the attack on the Nobel Prize winner, the authorities are tight-lipped about the latest incident, while no group has claimed responsibility yet.

    The outfit known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is gaining ground across Swat Valley once again. The people of Swat and other areas of KP must be commended for courageously demanding their right to live in peace. They have witnessed firsthand the bloody rule of the militants, and the associated pain of conflict and dislocation. No one can say for certain how and why TTP members have now resurfaced in Swat as well as several other adjoining tribal districts. This is the main reason for the unease among the people of Swat and is sure to give many a sleepless night to officials, both in the civilian setup as well as the military. And what have the latter done to allay the fears of the people? Not much, unfortunately.

    The return of TTP militants to their respective areas is part of the TTP-government negotiations being held in Kabul, Afghanistan, but no agreement has been reached to this effect. It, therefore, remains unclear who, if anyone for that matter, allowed the militants to return before a formal deal had been reached. It would not be wrong if we say the ghosts of the past are coming back to haunt the residents of Swat Valley. The valley has seen enough bloodshed, we hope and pray peace prevails in the region.

    Pakistan has lost 80,000 lives in the war on terror. We fought bravely to get rid of terrorism on our soil. The return of terrorism is a bad omen for peace in the country and the region.

  • Police issues warning of possible TTP attacks across Balochistan

    Police issues warning of possible TTP attacks across Balochistan

    Balochistan police issued a security alert on Thursday and warned of possible attacks by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) across the province.

    According to the letter issued by the Central Police Office in Quetta, the banned outfit has threatened to launch attacks in different cities of Balochistan, possibly including Zhob, Qila Saifullah, Ziarat, and Loralai.

    Moreover, the letter says that the police and other law enforcement agencies need to be vigilant and improve security arrangements.

    Earlier, the interior ministry issued an alert over the increasing threat of terrorist attacks by TTP.

    It is pertinent to mention that earlier this month, Senator Raza Rabbani, on a point of public concern, asked Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to direct the interior minister to take parliament and the public at large into confidence about the present status of peace talks with the TTP.

  • ‘Fear and panic’: TTP sets up ‘check-post’ in Swat

    ‘Fear and panic’: TTP sets up ‘check-post’ in Swat

    Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has established a check-post on the Balasoor Top, reports The News.

    According to the news outlet, the militants have established a check-post on the Balasoor Top in Matta tehsil, the hometown of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, while also roaming in other areas of the district.

    Local residents of the area have said that the number of Taliban militants was increasing in the mountainous areas of Matta tehsil with each passing day, which had created panic and fear among the inhabitants.

    Meanwhile, during Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, it was revealed that at least 200-250 TTP militants are in the area and have stated that they are in Pakistan based on a peace agreement.

  • TTP leader Omar Khalid Khorasani killed in Afghanistan

    TTP leader Omar Khalid Khorasani killed in Afghanistan

    Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) senior commander Omar Khalid Khorasani has been killed in the Paktika province of Afghanistan.

    “A vehicle reportedly carrying TTP Mohmand chief Omar Khalid Khorasani, aka Abdul Wali Mohmand, Mufti Hassan, and Hafiz Dawlat Khan, was targeted in Sharki village, near Margha, in Bermal district of Paktika province,” one Afghan official told The Express Tribune.

    Omar’s real name was Abdul Wali Mohmand and he previously headed the TTP in the Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Omar was a member of the TTP team involved in negotiations with Pakistani officials, Pashtun jirgas, and recently with religious scholars over the past few weeks.

    According to Dawn, in July 2017, one of the UN Security Council’s sanctions committees, upon Pakistan’s request, approved the addition of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar to the list of entities and individuals subject to the assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.

    The United States added Omar’s name to the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice wanted list in March 2018. The US had announced a reward of up to $3 million for information on him.

  • ‘Can talk to TTP, not with thieves’: Imran Khan rules out possibility of talks with the govt

    ‘Can talk to TTP, not with thieves’: Imran Khan rules out possibility of talks with the govt

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan addressed his supporters on Wednesday, a day after the Supreme Court verdict declared Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the new chief minister of Punjab. He demanded immediate elections that should be free and fair. Khan ruled out any possibility of holding talks with the coalition government.

    ‘Can talk to the TTP and separatists but not with thieves’

    “I can talk to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the separatists of Balochistan and Sindh, but not with thieves,” said Khan while ruling out the possibility of holding talks with the coalition government.

    “Will you speak to someone who robs your home?” 

    ‘A new Election Commission should be formed’

    Once again, Khan expressed his complete lack of trust in the incumbent Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja. Khan accused the ECP of supporting former CM Punjab Hamza Shehbaz.

    “The Election Commission was involved and tried to defeat us in the by-polls.”

    Terming his party’s win in the Punjab by-elections a “miracle”, he said that despite the government’s attempts, his party managed to win because of the people.

    “First of all, Hamza was illegally imposed on us, and even when he was ordered by the top court to refrain from using any state machinery and administration for personal gains, he used all of the aforementioned to rig the elections.”

    He demanded that a new Election Commission should be formed.

    “Such an Election Commission should be formed that no political party should have an issue with it.”

    ‘Yeh jo bikay hain hamaray log, yeh bhi aik shirk hai’

    Khan said that those who defected from his party committed shirk.

    “Jab yeh apni naukri ko bachanay ke liye ghalat kaam kartay hain, gunnah kartay hain, yeh bhi aik shirk hai. Aap apnay zameer ko bechtay hain, laalach de kar jo aap ko khareedta hai, yeh jo bikay hain hamaray log bhairr baqriyon ki tarah, yeh bhi aik shirq hai kyun ke Allah Al-Haqq hai.”

    (Those who do wrong things to save their jobs commit sin, it is shirk [idolatry]. Those who sell their self-respect and themselves, it is also counted as shirk because Allah is Al-Haqq).

    Azadi March and Haqeeqi Azadi

    Khan recalled that when his party announced its “Azadi March” on May 25, the coalition government attacked the women, children, and families who came out to support PTI.

    “They tried to silence us.”

    “Today, I want to thank the Almighty that despite all the impediments, people came out to show support rather than staying at home out of fear,” adding that he is glad that the people of Pakistan have started becoming a nation now.

    ‘Free and fair elections should be held immediately‘

    Khan stressed that there is only one way forward and that is through immediately holding free and fair elections.

  • Pakistan, TTP extend ceasefire indefinitely, agree to continue negotiations

    Pakistan, TTP extend ceasefire indefinitely, agree to continue negotiations

    The Government of Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have agreed to extend a ceasefire, reportedly indefinitely and continue negotiations to end the conflict that has resulted in the killings of thousands of people, reports Dawn.

    The agreement was made after both the government of Pakistan delegation and the TTP delegation met and held separate meetings with the Acting Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund in Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid and TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani had earlier announced the extension of the ceasefire till May 30.

    From the TTP’s side, disbandment of the faction being termed as an armed militant group and the reversal of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were key demands.

    However, the government didn’t accept the demands, saying that some demands were acceptable whereas others were not going to be accepted by Pakistan.

    The government’s delegation also made it clear that no armed group would be allowed to enter Pakistan territory.

    The next round of negotiations is expected to take place in the second week of June, in which a tribal jirga will hold direct talks with the TTP in Kabul.

  • ‘There will be war’: Sheikh Rasheed says no other way with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

    ‘There will be war’: Sheikh Rasheed says no other way with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has said that talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cannot move forward, reports Geo Urdu.

    Sheikh Rasheed told the Senate cabinet committee that talks with the banned TTP could not proceed, adding that the conditions imposed by the banned organisation were not acceptable and the ceasefire was broken by the banned organisation itself.

    Rasheed further said that a delegation has gone for talks but there are reports that the talks will not be successful. He also said that there will be a war with the banned TTP and that there is no other way to deal with the banned outfit.

    The interior minister further said that the TTP are present in the border area of ​​Afghanistan, some new groups have also joined them and are also in touch with India and Afghanistan.

    Rasheed said that security forces foiled a major catastrophe that could have occurred in Noshki and Panjgur while terrorists killed in Islamabad belonged to the same banned organisation.

    Rasheed on Thursday, while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that there was a link between Baloch militant groups and the banned TTP, as well as other militant groups, to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan.

    Rasheed further revealed, “the banned TTP has started extortion in Peshawar.”