PESHAWAR: Senior journalist Aqeel Ahmad Yousafzai has claimed that three prominent leaders of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had previously been associated with the political party of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Speaking about the backgrounds of key TTP figures, Aqeel Yousafzai claimed that former TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud had served as a JUI-F office-bearer in Waziristan.
He further claimed that Hakimullah Mehsud had an ideological association with Fazlur Rehman, while Omar Khalid Khorasani, who later founded Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, had also been associated with Fazlur Rehman’s party.
The journalist’s remarks highlight alleged political and ideological links involving individuals who later became prominent figures in militant organisations. However, the claims concern past associations and do not by themselves establish any organisational or operational connection between JUI-F and the TTP.
The TTP is a proscribed militant organisation responsible for numerous attacks in Pakistan. Its leadership has included several figures who emerged from militant networks operating in Pakistan’s tribal regions.
ALSO READ: Political Differences Aside, National Security Must Come First, KP Citizens Tell Fazlur Rehman
