Policemen search a vehicle in Peshawar as Pakistan went on high alert yesterday following the killing of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack on Friday.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not allow the death of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike to derail proposed peace talks, Information Minister Pervez Rasheed said yesterday.
He said the government wanted to press ahead with its plan to negotiate with Mehsud’s Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “We can say that this time drone struck the peace talks but we will not let the talks die.”
Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal district on Friday, a day after the government said it was taking steps to initiate dialogue.
Rasheed said Pakistan was committed to peace despite losing 40,000-50,000 civilians, soldiers, and policemen to militant violence. “I am sure that the other party will show the same spirit which we had shown.”
The TTP’s ruling council was locked in talks to choose a replacement for Mehsud, who had led the network since the death of its founder Baitullah Mehsud in 2009. Opposition politician Imran Khan condemned the drone strike as an attempt to “sabotage” peace efforts.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar denounced the killing as a US bid to derail talks and some politicians demanded the blocking of US military supply lines into Afghanistan in retaliation.
“The murder of Hakimullah is the murder of all efforts at peace,” said Nisar. “Americans said they support our efforts at peace. Is this support?”
Mehsud, who had a $5m US bounty on his head, was killed in the militant stronghold of Miranshah in northwest Pakistan. His vehicle was hit after he attended a meeting of Taliban leaders. His bodyguard and driver were also killed.
He was secretly buried in the early hours by a few companions amid fears that his funeral might be attacked by drones
“Every drop of Hakimullah’s blood will turn into a suicide bomber,” said Azam Tariq, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman.
Taliban commanders said they wanted to replace him with the movement’s number two, Khan Said, also known as Sajna.
In Miranshah, residents said dozens of tribesmen and militants opened fire on a drone flying low in the area where Mehsud was killed. Meanwhile, security was put on high alert in Pakistan. In Kabul, the Afghan Taliban described the killing of Mehsud as “a big loss” and urged Islamabad to prevent any further drone strikes. Agencies
