PESHAWAR: Afghanistan-based Taliban leader Maulvi Fazlullah, a
leading figure in the insurgency, has vowed to return to Pakistan to
wage war as the country came under renewed American pressure to tackle
militancy.
"We sacrificed our lives, left our homes and villages
for the sake of Sharia (Islamic Law) and will do whatever we can to get
Sharia implemented in the Malakand region and rest of Pakistan,"
Sirajuddin Ahmad, a close adviser, told Reuters newsagency, describing
Fazlullah’s position.
He was answering written questions submitted by Reuters.
The
Taliban threat was issued as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and
top US military and intelligence leaders delivered a tough warning to
Pakistan to crack down hard on militant groups, an issue heavily
straining ties between the uneasy allies.
Fazlullah was the
Pakistani Taliban leader in Swat Valley, about 100 miles (160 km)
northwest of Islamabad, before a 2009 army offensive forced him to flee.
Also known as FM Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts, he
regrouped in Afghanistan and established strongholds, and poses a threat
to Pakistan once again, said army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas.
The Pakistani Taliban, which is separate from but aligned to the
Afghan Taliban fighting foreign forces in Afghanistan, has declared war
on the Pakistani state for providing support to the US-led war on
militants in the region.
Pakistan recently complained that
Afghan and US-led forces had failed to hunt down Fazlullah who was
responsible for a spate of cross-border raids.
On the other
hand, Afghanistan and the United States have accused elements in the
Pakistan government of supporting members of the Afghan Taliban.
The
attacks in which militants loyal to Fazlullah took part killed about
100 members of Pakistan’s security forces, angering the army which faces
threats from multiple militant groups.
Fazlullah, a leading
figure in the Pakistani Taliban insurgency, is based in Kunar and
Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan, said Abbas.
Other leaders of
the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella of about 12 groups, and the
government have suggested they are open to peace talks to end a conflict
that has killed thousands of people.
But Fazlullah seemed sceptical about the government’s intentions.
"Pakistani
rulers always approach us through some people whenever their relations
with the United States become unfriendly and make appeals to us to help
them in restoration of peace in the country," said his adviser.
"But
they forget their promises and become more harsh and cruel when their
relations are restored with the United States. We know these tricks of
the Pakistani rulers and do not trust in their promises. Online
