Note for Wop readers: There is a video on There on no sunglasses weblog. The video is said to be a Taliban wanted by Pakistan police.
In this video, the said Talib affirms that he follows Mullah Umar, the supreme leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan and says the Pakistani Taliban are against the attacks on civilian targets in Pakistan.
This is something which has been known to us. The Taliban of Pakistan [TTP] who most probably are behind the attacks particularly on civilians in Pakistan were never owned by the Afghan Supremo. What’s interesting however is that this Talib leader emphatically asserts that the Taliban are not in favour of attack on civilians in Pakistan. Question arises then, if not the Taliban of Pakistan, then who is behind the two suicide attacks, one in Darra Adamkhel and the other in Peshawar. Both were carried out in mosques which every Muslim believes as places of worship and places of peace.. So who could be behind these attacks which just yesterday killed more than 80 persons and none of them was an infidel?
My friend Pete (Peter Chamberlin@ naharnet.com) says Pakistan military too is involved in the terrorism that’s taking place in Pakistan. Could be, but am unable to understand how the military could attack its own people particularly at the holy shrines and worshipping places. What advantage would it derive from such attacks?
On the other hand I fully agree with his final analysis that when it comes to fomenting troubles in the region [whether its Pakistan or India] the hands of CIA in such dirty games could not be excluded.
I wanted to put up this video here on this page, but am sorry due to some error in Flash Player I have not been able to do this. So please follow this link which will take you to the video
The text of what transpired between the CNN reporter and the Talib fighter is given hereunder. [Nayyar]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The car in front of me is carrying a man at the heart of the Taliban uprising in Pakistan.
This has been a carefully orchestrated rendezvous: Secrecy is everything.
We arranged for our cars to pass at a designated spot at a turnoff on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
We slow down, and the other car positions in front of us.
We are led down a narrow alleyway and into a non-descript house for a face-to-face interview.
This has all been patiently organized by our intermediary, a man known to the militant and trusted by us.
But there are always nagging concerns. Some in our car are a little nervous, and that is perfectly understandable, but I am comfortable we have taken every safeguard.
The man I finally meet is tall, probably in his mid-to-late 30′s with a heavy black beard. He is wearing a white shalwar kameez (traditional Pakistani dress), and he ties a white turban around his head.
He is wanted by Pakistani police for terrorism.
This is a man who has fought on the front lines both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was a leader of the Red Mosque in Islamabad, the scene of a siege by Pakistan military in 2007 which left more than 100 people dead.
We can’t film his face, and we can’t identify him. He tells us we can refer to him only as “Mullah Wajid.”
As we begin the interview, at first he won’t meet my eye. When we shake hands he looks slightly away.
My cameraman can only film him from behind, and he won’t allow us even to film his hands.
Two men stand behind our camera watching every shot. When the interview is over they command us to stop filming immediately.
But the interview itself is a surprise. Interviews with Taliban are rare. To have the chance to put questions directly to a man so heavily involved in the insurgency shines a light into a world often closed from us.
I expect the usual anti-America diatribe, and there is. He says the U.S and coalition forces must leave Afghanistan, and he wants a return to Taliban rule there.
He also criticizes some in Pakistan for being pro-U.S and implementing U.S. foreign policy.
What I wasn’t expecting was his denunciation of other Taliban.
He says some in Pakistan have gone too far and are inflicting suffering on ordinary civilians. He says the supreme Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, has rejected these militants and says they are not “real Taliban.”
This is a twist, and it comes after the release of a new Taliban code of conduct. The code says civilian suffering and casualties are to be avoided, urging Taliban to go after “high value” targets like coalition troops and government officials.
The Taliban is bogged down in heavy fighting both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Like any insurgency, if it loses the people, it loses the war.
And now the U.S. and others are seeking out what they call “good Taliban:” moderate militants they can negotiate with.
The Taliban leadership wants to cleanse itself of the rogue elements. It wants to present a disciplined, cohesive force that can’t easily be divided and conquered.
“Mullah Wajid” may be rejecting some hard-liners, but he hasn’t gone soft. He wants nothing less than the U.S. out of all Muslim lands.
I ask him if he is prepared to kill and die for his beliefs.
“Yes. Inshallah (God willing).”
In that he is not so different from other Taliban after all.
___
Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Stan Grant
Source: There are no sunglasses & CNNDisclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ‘Wonders of Pakistan’. The contents of this article too are the sole responsibility of the author(s). WoP will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this post.
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