On 28 May, 2014, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Wali-ur-Rehman faction led by Khan Said, also known
as Sajna, announced its separation from the TTP,
alleging that the current Mullah Fazlullah-led TTP is
bombing public places using fake names to avoid
responsibility. Sajna was a strong contender for the
TTP’s leadership after its former chief Hakimullah
Medsud was killed in a US drone attack in November
2013. The post was handed over to Mullah Fazlullah of
the Swati Taliban. Sajna was a key ally of former Wali-
ur-Rehman Mehsud, who originally led the breakaway
group and who was killed in a US drone strike in May
2013.
Why did the Split Take Place?
The TTP split into two factions after major group based
in South Waziristan quit the TTP and accused its
leadership of having fallen into invisible hands and
turning the TTP into an organisation providing safety to
criminals. Sajna’s spokesperson Azam Tariq said “We
announce separation from the TTP leadership which has
deviated from its path.” It accused the TTP leadership of
indulging in robberies, killing for money, extortion and
kidnapping for ransom with the help of a group of
conspirators, and said all these actions are considered
as un-Islamic.
The spokesman said the split too place because the
TTP under Fazlullah had become a den for extortionists,
and that it carried out blasts in mosques. This
assertion, however, does not hold much sincerity. This
is because the TTP has a long history of carrying out
blasts inside mosques, and their principal source of
income is extortion. Prima facie, it appears to be a case
of infighting for leadership roles.
Primarily, the split appears to have been a result of
tribal infighting for the leadership of the TTP. The TTP
has traditionally been a group of tribesmen from the
Mehsud clan, and Fazlullah is the first non-Mehsud
tribesman to have assumed leadership of the group.
Prior to joining the TTP, Fazlullah used to lead his own
militant organization called the Tehrik-i-Nafaz-e-
Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM). He was never inclined
to any negotiation and used to carry our ruthlessly
violent attacks.
The military's role in this split is unclear. Unlike the
Afghan Taliban, the TTP never took commands from the
Pakistani military. Their primary targets are the military
and law-enforcing agencies. Time and gain, the TTP
attacked military posts, taking some officials as
captives, and subsequently, killing them brutally. The
government’s failed attempt at negotiations with the
TTP is also among the key reasons for the ongoing
civil-military tension in Pakistan.
What are the Potential Implications?
It is yet to be seen how the splinter groups act in the
coming days. There is a likelihood of Fazlullah
regrouping the cadres of his former organization, the
TNSM. His seat of power was Swat valley, where he is
believed to command the loyalty of many of his
followers. Now, both the splinter groups might try to
assert their existence and relevance by carrying out
more attacks.
The military might try to take the advantage of the
ongoing infighting and mount serious offensives to
cause damage to the groups. The government might try
to engage in negotiations with Sajna’s group that
appears eager to hold talks. The consent of military to
such negotiations is very less.
According to the Pak Tribune, following the
aforementioned split, 13 militants were killed in a
bombing and gun-fighting in North Waziristan last
week. 56 people have been killed in the violence that
erupted on 1 June between Sajna’s supporters and
those of the late Hakimullah Mehsud group in North
Waziristan.
The Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud group is likely to emerge
stronger after the division because it enjoys the support
of both the Punjabi Taliban, and al-Qaeda. This
breakaway may end the centrality of the TTP and lead
to further disintegration. However, the government has
not commented on the split and it is yet to be seen as
to how this would affect the government’s peace
initiative.
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