Daily Times

Mufti Noor Wali’s verdicts would make some happy but others upset. I noticed that those who were on good terms with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and provided funds to it get favourable decisions from him. Several Mehsud tribesmen were targeted in Karachi; the terror of the TTP is so great that when Mufti Noor Wali makes a phone call to someone from the Mehsud tribe living in Karachi, he does not waste a day in reaching Miranshah. The trip from Karachi to Miranshah and the lodging there cost around Rs 50,000 and since Mufti Noor Wali has banned Mehsud jirgas in Karachi, anyone with a small dispute has to submit his case in his darbar. Now the Sajna group has complete control over Karachi and the extortion money (bhatta) that it collects from builders, transporters, the oil tankers union, rickshaw union and businessmen, with impunity. The interesting aspect is that the above unions take money themselves to Miranshah to hand over to the cross-eyed ‘chief justice’. The Hakimullah Mehsud group has almost been eliminated from the city of Karachi. The Sajna group has also eliminated the influence of the Awami National Party (ANP) from the port city. So far, not a single important commander from either the Hakimullah Mehsud group or Khan Said Sajna group has been targeted by the police, rangers and the army in Karachi. The high profile commanders of Hakimullah Mehsud were all killed by the Sajna group, not by the armed forces. The important commanders of the Sajna group in Karachi are Khan Zaman, Mufti Javid, Zahidullah Zakriya and Omar. They are openly operating in Karachi and have not been arrested by the security agencies, which makes common people suspect that they have the support of the security establishment. Several people in Miranshah told me that they have lost faith in the government agencies and they have no option but to come to Miranshah and pay money to save their skin and their families.

I noticed that Mufti Noor Wali caused terror among the people — those going to meet him were truly terrorised. He has spread the propaganda that he is very strict and does not compromise on principles but I noticed that if one has a strong reference from a big commander in the TTP, one will get an appointment easily and also a favourable decision; otherwise one has to wait for weeks to meet him. The TTP gets sizable funding from Karachi. According to some estimates and my interaction with businessmen in Karachi, the TTP collects Rs 100 million every month from Karachi alone. When we met Mufti Noor Wali in his office in the presence of Khan Said Sajna, the meeting went very smoothly. However, I noticed that neither our bodies were searched nor our phones were taken from us. This shows their confidence about having complete control. I found him to be a rigid man with a coarse voice and no sense of humour at all. He presented himself as an uncompromising man who accepts no references and makes decisions justly. Since he is the chief justice of the Taliban Sharia Court, his decisions are based on sharia. One thing I noticed: he is very hospitable and when it is lunchtime, he feeds everyone present in his office. He fed us too with beef, potato and gravy followed by black tea. The lunch was good, no doubt.

Mufti Noor Wali is well respected by all commanders from the Sajna group as well as by Khan Said Sajna himself. The friend I accompanied had a land dispute with another party in Ittehad town in Karachi but since he had a strong reference from a TTP commander, we were given access to the chief justice on the same day. The chief justice did not arrive at a decision and told the opposing parties that he would seek evidence from his commanders and make a decision in the next hearing. The date for the next hearing would be conveyed to both the parties through ‘proper’ channels. I also visited different towns in North Waziristan like Data Khel, Dande Darpakhel, Mir Ali, Ghulam Khan, Shawal and areas of the Dawar tribe. I discovered that the Dawar tribesmen are really fed up with the Mehsud Taliban. Hundreds of Dawar families fled their lands and moved to Bannu for fear of military operations especially after the Khajuri suicide attack and corresponding military strikes in Mir Ali.

The Dawar tribesmen also left for other areas when the political administration asked them to expel the TTP and Uzbeks from their areas. Their plea was how could they expel them if the government was in no position to do the same? Dawar tribesmen also told me that when there are drone strikes or military strikes, TTP militants loot their shops with impunity. People in private will tell you how much they appreciate drone strikes but, in front of the media, they feel frightened. The most important thing I saw was that very close to the Miranshah main market is a military fort but in the centre of the bazaar is a government hospital of which full operational control is with the Taliban. We saw Taliban from the Sajna group and the Haqqani group in the hospital. I also saw Haqqani group members openly roaming in their vehicles and not being stopped at army check posts. The Wazir Taliban also enjoy full freedom in Miranshah and other parts of North Waziristan.

Some general observations I had: when top Taliban commanders park their vehicles, others strictly watch them for fear that someone may plant explosives close to them. Both groups are afraid of each other and in recent incidents have killed each other’s commanders. I have heard that TTP commanders do not stay in one place. Top commanders like Rais Khan, alias Azam Tariq, Noor Wali and Khan Said Sajna stay in different houses given to them by the local people. They visit each other unannounced. At night, one hears drones above and everyone has this fear that their house might be targeted. Despite this fear, locals tell me that drones are the best weapons ever produced.

(Concluded)

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at kaharzalmay@yahoo.com