Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan, according to Pakistani intelligence officials and militant commanders in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). Mehsud's driver and bodyguard were also reportedly killed in this strike.
The killing comes a day before the Pakistani government was sending a team to hold peace talks with Mehsud's Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and just a week after Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with US President Barack Obama at the White House and expressed his strenuous opposition to drone strikes.
Naz Bloch, spokesperson of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehkrik-i-Insaf or PTI, a political party that has been pushing for peace talks with the Taliban and campaigning against US drone strikes tweets Imran Khan's response to the news:
Why doesn't US let the peace process initiate? Drones sabotaged the dialogue & derailed the process yet again. pic.twitter.com/ohGRHmd8KC
— Naz Baloch (@NazBalochPTI) November 1, 2013
PTI's chief Imran Khan later demanded the government to immediately block Nato supplies going through the country to Afghanistan. PTI is the ruling party in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares borders with the tribal areas and has been the most brutally affected by Taliban violence in Pakistan.
Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani journalist and author of The Scorpion's Tail: the relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan was surprised to see Imran Khan's reaction:
I have not seen Imran Khan so angry and upset when the TTP was killing innocent people as he is now on the death of Hakimullah.
— zahid Hussain (@hidhussain) November 1, 2013
He adds:
IK was almost on verge of crying when talking to reporters when commenting on Mehsud's death. Just to remind him the TTP killed 3 PTI MPs.
— zahid Hussain (@hidhussain) November 1, 2013
Blogger and PTI's social media head Dr. Awab Alvi tweets:
Glad #Mehsud was Killed today does that stop the terrorism or emergence of a new leader to fill vacuum – NO it only creates more miltnt ldrs
— Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) November 1, 2013
Supporters of Jamat-ud-Dawa chant slogans during a protest demonstration against the U.S. drone attacks outside the Hyderabad Press Club. Hyderabad, Pakistan. Image by Rajput Yasir. Copyright Demotix (1/11/2013)
Zarlasht Faisal, (@ZarlashtFaisal) , a fashion designer and a PTI supporter, questions the future of the war.
So following the death of Mehsud…is the war over now? Are we victorious now? Will the violence stop? Will there be no more TTP leaders?
— Zarlasht Faisal (@ZarlashtFaisal) November 1, 2013
Usama Khilji, a Pakistani activist fears a backlash by Taliban:
Security forces around Pakistan must prepare to secure citizens from the mayhem the Taliban may plan to inflict to avenge Hakimullah's death
— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) November 1, 2013
Beena Sarwar, a blogger and human rights activist questions the role of TTP.
Taking a moralistic, principled stand against #drones would be fine if their target was innocent civilians -who are the TTP #Fasadis‘ [anarchists] target
— beena sarwar (@beenasarwar) November 1, 2013
Renowned Pakistani lawyer and judicial activist Athar Minallah reacts:
Hekeemullah Mehsud had proudly claimed killing innocent Pakistanis. Never killed an American. Ppl r declaring him Shaheed. Hypocricy
— Athar Minallah (@MinallahAthar) November 1, 2013
Omar Quraishi, an op-ed editor of the English daily, the Express Tribune believes drones are not a hindrance to peace talks.
Note to apologists: drones have not sabotaged any peace talks, ever — that is a fact
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) November 1, 2013
Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan People's Party or PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweets:
If there are good Taliban and bad Taliban are we allowed to say there are good drones and bad drones? #JustAsking
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) November 1, 2013
There are some funny tweets and jokes in Urdu being circulated on Twitter about Hakimullah Mehsud's killing:
اگرامیر حکیم اللہ محسود صاحب نے برقعہ پہن کے فرار اختیار کیا ہوتا تو وہ آج حوروں کے جھرمٹ میں لڈو نہ کھیل رہے ہوتے- آنٹی عزیز لال مسجد والی
— Che™ (@FarrukhHussaini) November 1, 2013
Had Hakilmullah Mehsud escaped wearing a Burqa, he would not be playing ludo [Pakistani bord game] with Hoors [virgins]. Aunty Aziz Lal Masjid wali
Hakimullah with Hoors in heaven
condolence étiquettes
Obituary and condolence etiquette: This is a request to those coming for condolence, the wives of Hakimullah Mehsud – Madam Imrana Khanum and Munawar Begum – are in Iddah [mourning in solitude]. That is why, condolences will be received by his other women, Eliya and Ansaran from Murree [city]. Because these two were not his wives, they were just his sleeping partners.
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