hakimullah mehsud taken out

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

Not done yet.

Asmatu*llah Shahee*n Bhitta*ni is set a interim chief of TTP

interesting the interim chielf aswell as the expected Chief of army staff of Pak army both are bhittani from tank.

I hope tariq Khan is being promoted to COAS.

[MostafaM]

....you make your point clear.

You were sold by Kabul, right?

Only goat, prostitutes and slaves are sold and bought by their masters.

If that´s your perception of your own people´s history then I dont have any objections.

lol

[BarakzaiAbdali]

While I can understand your feeling and statements like DaalBaazi and all this cheap stuff Even though you know a Common Pakistani pashtun is having a per capita almost twice or 2 and half times more than a common kabuli(old name afghan pashtun).Kabuli named was given to them after they became persianized and shia influenced

While From Bannu doesnt mean One must be Banusi.But i would still defend my banusi Brothers..Atleast they are not celebrating the shia stuff like you people do.Such as Nawroz etc.they also Don't speak persian or kanjar language
Beside this Don't even relate yourself to karlani tribe.The banusi already is an official tribe of karlani pashtun and my tribe wazir aswell.mangal seem to be like a very minute tribe.Your a Afghan and you have no claim over any part of Pakistan or pashtunistan on our side

After the durrand line agreement when cheap kabuli sold us to British Govt just to save their ass.

Look into this map and my village Baka khel wazir even though not mentioned in the map but is slightly even more in the west to Bannu city/village areas.

We were sold by you guys.And the British India or the People of Modern day Pakistan respected us as brother and didnt betrayed like you guys did to us.

Today we are feeding you in millions.I am 100% sure you must have visited KPK and had may be even registered as a Official refugees.Because after all anyone having a normal life and being in afghanistan must be either to Pakistan or any other foriegn countries

People of Banni gul were sold off by you kabuli.While now Banni gul is filled with kabul refugees and we are feeding them

look close into the MAP,Bannu before durrand line agreement was under Afghanistan

The people of bannu didnt seperated from you guys but you people sold us and today we are feeding you.Throughout Afghanistan there is not a single city comparable to Even bannu in Pashtun dominated regions in Pakistan.

Dont know if its fair to say this regarding "people of Pakistan did not sell us." What is worse? Land being signed off under murky circumstances without the consent of the tribes that live on it - or a central government that has now admitted it could down the very vehicles that are used to kill and make the lives of Wazirs miserable? That skank Miss Anderson demanded the production of one single civilian that was affected. That was her challenge. We can see with Nabeelay's grandmother that the challenge has been met. Basically the government (though we must distinguish the common people from the government) has decided that Pashtun lives are expendable and chess pieces. Is that not being sold off?

Mostafa and I have had this discussion before. I have always said that the tribes that live on the land can make any claim they want. Its up to Wazir and Bangash and Mohmand etc to decide how and where they want to live. Land is like one's mother there - it cannot be claimed even with slogans like lar and bar.

What I have observed though is not the undying loyalty you say Wazirs have for Pakistan, especially these days. They even fought under the banner of Amanullah and then Nadir to help free the Kabul throne.

There are really a few central issues here:

1) It cannot be denied Pakistan aided some groups above others and decided to implement strategic depth. Some say this was based on money going to the best fighter. I don't know if this is a fair excuse since Pakistan could have proved loyalty and probably received a lot of loyalty in return by equally distributing power, money, and aid. The Afghan people are a loyal people and even if there are land claim issues I think even someone with Sardar Daud's reticence/obstinance would have decided a fair and federated outlook was in order if he saw a kind hand and honesty (he was of course dead but I am just referring to someone of that mindset).

2) At the same time I have always stated that stupid diplomatic overtures on the part of prior Afghan governments and the East West Pakistan debacle led to a paranoid stance that even Kennedy would have understood. Kennedy was ready to light the whole world on fire just because of a few silos in Cuba where his arch enemy was setting up.

3) Even with 2 in mind, it is very unfair and beneath dignity to mock the poor. The villagers that are being fed in the camps that still exist are not ideologues - they are victims of a series of wars they never asked for. Remember Quran e Kareem says not to remind others of kindness.

4) Is it not fair to say while you have some points regarding Persian influence in Mohammadzai times, is it not fair to say that the Salman Khan identity and urdubanization has been intensely injected to the point of altering urban culture?

5) Your commentary on the other threads regarding the insurgency in Pakistan: Is it fair to mock these people and call them murderers in a state of war? On the one hand, Pakistan armed the tribal people, sent them to places like Kashmir under the pretext of attacking kafir invasion, and then when the same groups decided to go into Afghanistan - Pakistan decided to let two things happen: A) it permitted drones to attack the tribal areas with impugnity B) It invaded the tribal areas at the paymasters behest and C) it acted coy when these same people decided to label Pak government and its supporters in Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan as in cahoots with the invasion secondary to NATO lines.

So how can you be confused about the stance of these people when it makes complete sense?

[Pakwatan]

Dont know if its fair to say this regarding "people of Pakistan did not sell us." What is worse? Land being signed off under murky circumstances without the consent of the tribes that live on it - or a central government that has now admitted it could down the very vehicles that are used to kill and make the lives of Wazirs miserable? That skank Miss Anderson demanded the production of one single civilian that was affected. That was her challenge. We can see with Nabeelay's grandmother that the challenge has been met. Basically the government (though we must distinguish the common people from the government) has decided that Pashtun lives are expendable and chess pieces. Is that not being sold off?

Mostafa and I have had this discussion before. I have always said that the tribes that live on the land can make any claim they want. Its up to Wazir and Bangash and Mohmand etc to decide how and where they want to live. Land is like one's mother there - it cannot be claimed even with slogans like lar and bar.

What I have observed though is not the undying loyalty you say Wazirs have for Pakistan, especially these days. They even fought under the banner of Amanullah and then Nadir to help free the Kabul throne.

There are really a few central issues here:

1) It cannot be denied Pakistan aided some groups above others and decided to implement strategic depth. Some say this was based on money going to the best fighter. I don't know if this is a fair excuse since Pakistan could have proved loyalty and probably received a lot of loyalty in return by equally distributing power, money, and aid. The Afghan people are a loyal people and even if there are land claim issues I think even someone with Sardar Daud's reticence would have decided a fair and federated outlook was in order if he saw a kind hand and honesty (he was of course dead but I am just referring to someone of that mindset).

2) At the same time I have always stated that stupid diplomatic overtures on the part of prior Afghan governments and the East West Pakistan debacle led to a paranoid stance that even Kennedy would have understood. Kennedy was ready to light the whole world on fire just because of a few silos in Cuba where his arch enemy was setting up.

3) Even with 2 in mind, it is very unfair and beneath dignity to mock the poor. The villagers that are being fed in the camps that still exist are not ideologues - they are victims of a series of wars they never asked for. Remember Quran e Kareem says not to remind others of kindness.

4) Is it not fair to say while you have some points regarding Persian influence in Mohammadzai times, is it not fair to say that the Salman Khan identity and urdubanization has been intensely injected to the point of altering urban culture?

5) Your commentary on the other threads regarding the insurgency in Pakistan: Is it fair to mock these people and call them murderers in a state of war? On the one hand, Pakistan armed the tribal people, sent them to places like Kashmir under the pretext of attacking kafir invasion, and then when the same groups decided to go into Afghanistan - Pakistan decided to let two things happen: A) it permitted drones to attack the tribal areas with impugnity B) It invaded the tribal areas at the paymasters behest and C) it acted coy when these same people decided to label Pak government and its supporters in Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan as in cahoots with the invasion secondary to NATO lines.

So how can you be confused about the stance of these people when it makes complete sense?

Khan saab, you have raised excellent points. After reading your post, it made me see the entire situation from a different perspective. You are right in what you say.

[Tiger Khan]

Khan saab, you have raised excellent points. After reading your post, it made me see the entire situation from a different perspective. You are right in what you say.

Pakwatan, i hate the way you said "khan sahib". you are sarcastic.. check yourself.. dumbo..come out of that mentality that you are the smartest.. makes you vulnerable.. as far as issue at hand is concerned.. i think.. its good that basterd (hakimullah masud) died.. he was on american payroll anyways.. when he wanted to negotiate with pakistan. he was taken out.. so that Americans can raise another hierarchy that is more acceptabel to them, stretch the war even further and have a bargaining chip .. Pakistan should never negotiate with these talibans.. because clearly they are fighting a proxy war on behalf of americans and many others.. so its good that there wont be any peace between pakistan and talibans because these talibans have killed Sunnis, shias, christans and eveyone else in the name of religion.. they are deranged.. might as well cleanse of the earth from this **** i.e. Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani taliban will never keep their word.. the idea is not to give them respite or breathing space wherein they can regroup.. keep hitting them. I believe most Pakistani Taliban don’t even know who is paying them.. they believe Allah is just inspiring people to give them “free lunches”

[Badlun]

Look at the life style of these Islamists!

The $120,000 farmhouse where the TTP chief was killed
AFP

MIRAMSHAH: With marble floors, lush green lawns and a towering minaret, the $120,000 farm where feared Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud died in a US drone strike was no grubby mountain cave.

Mehsud spent his days skipping around Pakistan's rugged tribal areas to avoid the attentions of US drones.

But his family, including two wives, had the use of an eight-roomed farmhouse set amid lawns and orchards growing apples, oranges, grapes and pomegranates.

As well as the single-storey house, the compound in Dandey Darpakhel village, five kilometres north of Miramshah, was adorned with a tall minaret, purely for decorative purposes.

Militant sources said the property in the North Waziristan tribal area was bought for Mehsud nearly a year ago for $120,000, a huge sum by Pakistani standards, by close aide Latif Mehsud, who was captured by the US in Afghanistan last month.

An AFP journalist visited the property several times when the previous owner, a wealthy landlord, lived there.

With the Pakistan army headquarters for restive North Waziristan just a kilometre away, locals thought of Mehsud's compound as the “safest” place in a dangerous area.

Its proximity to a major military base recalls the hideout of Osama bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad, on the doorstep of Pakistan's elite military academy.

“I saw a convoy of vehicles two or three times in this street but I never thought Hakimullah would have been living here. It was the safest place for us before this strike,” local shopkeeper Akhter Khan told AFP.

This illusion of safety was shattered on Friday when a US drone fired at least two missiles at Mehsud's vehicle as it stood at the compound gate waiting to enter, killing the Pakistani Taliban chief and four cadres.

The area around Dandey Darpakhel is known as a hub for the Haqqani network, a militant faction blamed for some of the most high-profile attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.

Many left the area during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, coming back after the US-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks.

Samiullah Wazir, a shopkeeper in the area, told AFP he would regularly see a convoy of four or five SUVs with blacked-out windows leave the compound early in the morning and return after sunset.

“We thought that somebody very important must be living in this house,”Wazir said.

“One day, I saw a man wearing a white shawl entering the house and I thought he looked like Hakimullah, but I thought 'How can he live here because he could be easily hit by a drone strike?'” But Hakimullah it was and on Friday he returned to his compound for the final time.

“We were closing the shop when his vehicle came and was about to enter the house when a missile struck it,” Wazir said.

“Moments later, an army of Taliban came and they cordoned off the area.”


The $120,000 farmhouse where the TTP chief was killed - DAWN.COM

[KGODB]

While I can understand your feeling and statements like DaalBaazi and all this cheap stuff Even though you know a Common Pakistani pashtun is having a per capita almost twice or 2 and half times more than a common kabuli(old name afghan pashtun).Kabuli named was given to them after they became persianized and shia influenced

While From Bannu doesnt mean One must be Banusi.But i would still defend my banusi Brothers..Atleast they are not celebrating the shia stuff like you people do.Such as Nawroz etc.they also Don't speak persian or kanjar language
Beside this Don't even relate yourself to karlani tribe.The banusi already is an official tribe of karlani pashtun and my tribe wazir aswell.mangal seem to be like a very minute tribe.Your a Afghan and you have no claim over any part of Pakistan or pashtunistan on our side

After the durrand line agreement when cheap kabuli sold us to British Govt just to save their ass.

Look into this map and my village Baka khel wazir even though not mentioned in the map but is slightly even more in the west to Bannu city/village areas.

We were sold by you guys.And the British India or the People of Modern day Pakistan respected us as brother and didnt betrayed like you guys did to us.

Today we are feeding you in millions.I am 100% sure you must have visited KPK and had may be even registered as a Official refugees.Because after all anyone having a normal life and being in afghanistan must be either to Pakistan or any other foriegn countries

People of Banni gul were sold off by you kabuli.While now Banni gul is filled with kabul refugees and we are feeding them

look close into the MAP,Bannu before durrand line agreement was under Afghanistan

The people of bannu didnt seperated from you guys but you people sold us and today we are feeding you.Throughout Afghanistan there is not a single city comparable to Even bannu in Pashtun dominated regions in Pakistan.

the estrogen leaking from this post....

[Shah-i-Kot]

Pakwatan, i hate the way you said "khan sahib". you are sarcastic.. check yourself.. dumbo..come out of that mentality that you are the smartest.. makes you vulnerable.. as far as issue at hand is concerned.. i think.. its good that basterd (hakimullah masud) died.. he was on american payroll anyways.. when he wanted to negotiate with pakistan. he was taken out.. so that Americans can raise another hierarchy that is more acceptabel to them, stretch the war even further and have a bargaining chip .. Pakistan should never negotiate with these talibans.. because clearly they are fighting a proxy war on behalf of americans and many others.. so its good that there wont be any peace between pakistan and talibans because these talibans have killed Sunnis, shias, christans and eveyone else in the name of religion.. they are deranged.. might as well cleanse of the earth from this **** i.e. Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani taliban will never keep their word.. the idea is not to give them respite or breathing space wherein they can regroup.. keep hitting them. I believe most Pakistani Taliban don’t even know who is paying them.. they believe Allah is just inspiring people to give them “free lunches”

Pakistan has been giving US/NATO supply lines (ground and air) since 2001 to enable the US/NATO war in Afghanistan.

Thats all that needs to be said in regards to Pakistan, and years from now, this reputation will stick with Pakistan forever as a sold out nation that has all in name participated in a war that sees Pashtun bloodshed.

Whats even more is that even India and Iran (supporters of Karzai regime) have not given US/NATO such a facility of NATO supply lines. Israel has not given support for the US/NATO war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has, supposed "fortress of Islam."

[Bengal_Tiger]

Pakistan has been giving US/NATO supply lines (ground and air) since 2001 to enable the US/NATO war in Afghanistan.

Thats all that needs to be said in regards to Pakistan, and years from now, this reputation will stick with Pakistan forever as a sold out nation that has all in name participated in a war that sees Pashtun bloodshed.

Whats even more is that even India and Iran (supporters of Karzai regime) have not given US/NATO such a facility of NATO supply lines. Israel has not given support for the US/NATO war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has, supposed "fortress of Islam."

That means nothing.

1. Pakistan massacred Muslims and raped Muslim women in east Pakistan 1971 its own citizens, and had sex camps where they raped Muslim sex slaves and called them "right hand possess", something which even the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have not done.

2. Pakistan is training the Burmese military in terms of submarines.

3. Pakistan fought against an Islamic scholar, the Faqir of Ipi.

Prior to Pakistan, Punjabis killed Turkish soldiers in Mecca, killed Muslims in Iraq and helped disbelievers against Muslims (i.e. Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh to capture Peshawar).

Despite all this the Pakistanis are very successful in portraying to their people, and to other Muslims (e.g. Saudis, other Arabs, Turks etc) that they are a "fortress of Islam".

The only way for this virus to be cured is for the dissolution of Pakistan itself.

Only then will there be more peace in the region and for the regions Muslims e.g. Afghans, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Balochis etc.

[Tiger Khan]

Pakistan has been giving US/NATO supply lines (ground and air) since 2001 to enable the US/NATO war in Afghanistan.

Thats all that needs to be said in regards to Pakistan, and years from now, this reputation will stick with Pakistan forever as a sold out nation that has all in name participated in a war that sees Pashtun bloodshed.

Whats even more is that even India and Iran (supporters of Karzai regime) have not given US/NATO such a facility of NATO supply lines. Israel has not given support for the US/NATO war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has, supposed "fortress of Islam."

i agree with you.. this is going to stick. and history would remmeber paksitan as coward, sell out and untrustable.. even allies like saudis and china are aprehesive of pakistan.

[Pakwatan]

Pakwatan, i hate the way you said "khan sahib". you are sarcastic.. check yourself.. dumbo..come out of that mentality that you are the smartest.. makes you vulnerable.. as far as issue at hand is concerned.. i think.. its good that basterd (hakimullah masud) died.. he was on american payroll anyways.. when he wanted to negotiate with pakistan. he was taken out.. so that Americans can raise another hierarchy that is more acceptabel to them, stretch the war even further and have a bargaining chip .. Pakistan should never negotiate with these talibans.. because clearly they are fighting a proxy war on behalf of americans and many others.. so its good that there wont be any peace between pakistan and talibans because these talibans have killed Sunnis, shias, christans and eveyone else in the name of religion.. they are deranged.. might as well cleanse of the earth from this **** i.e. Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani taliban will never keep their word.. the idea is not to give them respite or breathing space wherein they can regroup.. keep hitting them. I believe most Pakistani Taliban don’t even know who is paying them.. they believe Allah is just inspiring people to give them “free lunches”

Why are you angry with me?

I hate Hakeemullah Meshud. I'm happy that he was killed, but I cannot say that all Mehsuds are bad.

He was responsible for killing Col. Imam. He was respected by Mullah Omar and the Haqqanis.

Look at how this haramzada kills this bazurg. The one that fought against communists for the Muslims of Afghanistan.




Colonel Imam Killed by Taliban ok - YouTube


In the name of Allah (swt) this dog killed a bazurg. How can I ever support this?

This son of a dog cannot even fire without flinching, while Col. Imam looks him in the eyes, while meeting death.

TTP buzdil aur haramzada hain.


Hakeemullah worked for US, and then that dog died by their hands as well.

Good riddance.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e01_1298199749

[Tiger Khan]

Why are you angry with me?

I hate Hakeemullah Meshud. I'm happy that he was killed, but I cannot say that all Mehsuds are bad.

He was responsible for killing Col. Imam. He was respected by Mullah Omar and the Haqqanis.

Look at how this haramzada kills this bazurg. The one that fought against communists for the Muslims of Afghanistan.




Colonel Imam Killed by Taliban ok - YouTube


In the name of Allah (swt) this dog killed a bazurg. How can I ever support this?

This son of a dog cannot even fire without flinching, while Col. Imam looks him in the eyes, while meeting death.

TTP buzdil aur haramzada hain.


Hakeemullah worked for US, and then that dog died by their hands as well.

Good riddance.

LiveLeak.com - Taliban release video of killing of Col Imam

i have no issues with you .. but i dont agree with blind patriotism.. i belives systems in pakistan needs improvement.. i think pashtun, baloch, and others should be given right of their languages in schools and offices in areas where they dominate (Just like Sind).. i dont consider urdu as my language .. my language was/is pashto, which is around 5000 years old.. urdu is hardly three centuries old.. it is imposed on the entire country by few people who thought it was a good idea at that time now punjabies are dumb enough (they are overwhelming majority in pakistan, who can influence any public policy if they want) to think that their langugae is paindo and urdu is somehow decree of God..
Also i do not like Condescending attitude .. i think everyone has a viable opinion which should be valued.. Baluchi language may not seem important to punjabies but it is to Baluchi let them decide their own fate.. also thinking that resources of blauchistan or any other area can be plundered without anyone noticing.. that doesnt happen anymore.. no one is dumb and everyone knows their rights

[Friend]

Pakwatan is a blind patriot who believes that anything paki army and paki govt do is just.
When you ask him about the U turn paki army took in Afghanistan's and kashmir's matters then he finds excuses for that and does not make responsible for that. For him, paki army is some holy cow. For him it is good to punish terrorist taliban but will never talk about punishing the root cause of this terrorism which pak army and isi.
This hypocracy is leading the nation to a destruction.

[Friends of Baloch]

Colonel Imam Killed by Taliban ok - YouTube

This smelly ISI individual was a jat punjabi and died a death befitting of such a despicable creature.

[Friends of Baloch]

Clandestine manoeuvrings to select new Taliban head


By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad


Drone strikes have recently killed the senior leadership of the Pakistani Taliban including Hakimullah Mehsud (left) and Waliur Rehman

Somewhere along the mountainous border between Pakistan's militant-occupied tribal districts of North Waziristan and South Waziristan, turbaned Taliban commanders are gathering to choose a new leader of the Pakistani Taliban group, the TTP.

The time, venue and duration of the meeting remain a closely guarded secret because the area is known as much for being a major militant sanctuary as it is for the constant buzzing of unmanned American spy planes - or drones - looking for targets.

During the last three days, these men have been holding secret meetings in undisclosed buildings in the town of Miranshah and elsewhere in the region to mourn the death of their leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, in Dande Darpakhel - 5km (three miles) north of Miranshah.

Pakistan responded angrily to the killing, saying that Hakimullah Mehsud was eliminated just a day before the government was to initiate peace talks with his group.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan stated that the drone strike had "murdered" any chance of peace in his country.

Potential targets

But Taliban elements and their hard line Islamist sympathisers are blaming Pakistan - which had announced a bounty of $470,000 (£293,000) on his head - for collaborating with the Americans to eliminate Hakimullah Mehsud.


For the government side, conflict within the Mehsud tribe could amount to a win-win situation

Taliban officials approached by journalists cite three days of mourning as the reason why there has been a delay in announcing Hakimullah Mehsud's successor. But there may be other hurdles as well.

One is the difficulty of movement in a region where drones are always on the lookout for potential targets and there is frequent human intelligence on the ground to guide them to those targets.

Telecommunications are also problematic. Pakistani landline telephone networks can easily be monitored by Pakistan, and groups hitting Pakistani targets would be reluctant to use these phones for confidential exchanges.

Some mobile phone companies based in Afghanistan provide coverage across Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and are widely used by fighters operating there. But they have a similar problem as they too can be monitored by Afghan intelligence.

The choice of using these communication networks depends on which group can expect sympathy from which country.

Numerical strength

Another problem concerns the tribal dynamics peculiar to TTP that make the choice of a leader a potentially explosive one.

When TTP founder Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike in 2009, the transition to a new leader appeared smooth.

Hakimullah Mehsud had established himself as an able deputy who had helped to organise the TTP in nearly all areas of the Fata north of Waziristan, thereby expanding the organisation's boundaries beyond the ethnic confines of the Mehsud tribe.

It was his clout among the northern tribes that ultimately won him the top TTP seat - and later helped him garner superior numerical strength to survive in Miranshah.

He took refuge in Miranshah from 2009, when the Pakistani army started an operation in his native Mehsud areas of South Waziristan.
Hakimullah Mehsud got support from like-minded militants who had also been forced into the area from other northern areas under pressure from the military.

That is not the case now.

Over the years, Hakimullah Mehsud's policy of favouring the northerners created resentment within his own tribe, and many of the top Mehsud commanders shifted their loyalties to his top rival and fellow tribesman, Waliur Rehman.

Hawkish attitude

In recent months, the two groups have been fighting turf wars in areas away from Fata, especially in the country's largest city and financial hub, Karachi, with Waliur Rehman's followers widely thought to have gained the upper hand.

Some of the the main losers in the conflict between the Taliban and the army are displaced people

But after Waliur Rehman's death in yet another drone strike in May, his deputy Khan Said Sajna was elevated to head the group. He is now one of the top contenders for the post, but he will face tough opposition from Hakimullah Mehsud's group.

This conflict within the Mehsud tribe has led to speculation that a choice may be made from some of the more prominent but non-Mehsud commanders, such as Mullah Fazlullah of Swat, Commander Omar Khalid of Mohmand, or Commander Hafiz Saeed of Orakzai.

But those who understand the tribal dynamics of Waziristan - and the area's significance as the ultimate sanctuary for Islamist forces - believe a non-local commander is unlikely to hold the respect of the Mehsud fighters, who make up the bulk of the TTP's manpower.

For the Pakistani government, this would appear to be a win-win situation.
If a non-Mehsud leader is chosen, the TTP is likely to see internal rifts, allowing Pakistani intelligence to infiltrate it more effectively.

But if a Mehsud leader is brought forth, he is more likely to be from a group sympathetic to peace talks with Islamabad.

Most TTP commanders of the north oppose any peace talks with Pakistan.
Hakimullah Mehsud himself was known for his hawkish attitude towards the political system of his home country, calling it "secular" and therefore something to be destroyed.

By contrast, Waliur Rehman was considered a dove on the issue, and his successor is believed also to support that policy. Analysts say that if Khan Said Sajna is chosen to lead the TTP, he may in due course come around to holding talks with Islamabad.

But in the meantime, one thing is clear.

Pakistan has chosen to distance itself from the strike that killed Hakimullah Mehsud.

This is perhaps to obfuscate the impression among conservative circles that Pakistanis trapped him by inviting him to talks and thereby causing him to lower his guard.

Many remember that his predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, was only targeted after repeated complaints by Pakistani officials that the Americans had avoided hitting him despite being provided with real-time intelligence on
his whereabouts.