Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The “surrender” of Ehsanullah Ehsan, one of the famous faces in the Taliban hierarchy, to the security forces could be seen as a serious blow to the militants.

The army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor avoided sharing details about the mysterious surrender at his press conference at the ISPR’s headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Ehsan, who had been active to contact media persons in Pakistan, had mysteriously stopped replies to queries on March 14.

Sources in Mohmand tribal region have confided to Daily Times that Ehsan surrendered to the forces nearly two weeks ago. On April 4 the ISPR claimed that eight members of the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had surrendered before the Army in Mohmand Agency.

The military wing had identified only Akbar, Gull, Siraj but kept identity of five of others secret. There were also speculations about his surrender in Mohmand agency earlier this month, according correspondents in the region.

Whatever the circumstances that led to Ehsan surrender, it could be seen as a serious blow to the TTP JA, which had been behind many of the terrorist attacks in recent months.

The security forces had mounted pressure on the Taliban groups, which Gen Ghafoor insisted operate from the Afghan soil, after the series of attacks in February. Nearly 100 people were killed only in five days that led to shelling of the hideouts of the Pakistani militants in Afghan border regions. Pakistani militants are mostly believed to be based in eastern Kunar, Nangarhar and Nuristan province.

Daily Times has learnt that Ehsan had “voluntarily struck a deal with the government” and that he has told his friends that he “has returned to Pakistan and surrendered with the message of peace.”

Despite being media friendly Ehsan had always been controversial since he had joined the TTP in January 2008, about year after Baitullah Mehsud, launched the TTP in South Waziristan.

He belongs to Sagi Bala village in Sapai tehsil in Mohmand agency, who had done his metric in High School Lakaro and FA from Bajaur

Degree College. He was initially served as the TTP spokesman in Mohmand agency but had been using the name of Sajjad Mohmand.

He later shifted to Waziristan and was made the TTP’s central spokesman and would operate from North Waziristan until the military launched major operation in June 2014. Majority of the TTP and other militants fled to Afghanistan. The TTP leadership had sacked him in July 2013 over his remarks against the Afghan Taliban.

In August 2014, Ehsan joined some other senior commanders from Mohmand agency to launch the TTP splinter group Jamaatul Ahrar over “frustration at internal fighting, lack of coordination and mistrust among the leaders.” TTP that time was in disarray as another powerful faction of the Mehsud faction of the TTP had also parted ways with the main group. Ehsan was also removed as the TTP JA spokesman in February for unknown reason.

The group appointed Asad Mansoor as new spokesman. Ehsan was given another position, but he had been in contact with the media until last month.

The TTP Mohmand chapter had worked as “state within a state” during their association with the TTP. When the TTP leadership agreed to start peace dialogue with the PML-N gov’t in early 2014, the Mohmand faction brutally slaughtered 23 FC men in Feb 2014, who taken captive earlier from the Shongrai check post in June 2010. It was the same faction which attacked the Islamabad courts attack On 3 March 2014, killing eleven people and injuring over 20 others.

A little known “Ahrar-ul-Hind” had claimed responsibility but it was in fact TTP JA which was behind the attack.

Enhan’s surrender could encourage other Pakistani militants to lay down arms in the wake of increasing pressure on them on the Afghan side of the border.

Recent remarks by Afghan ambassador in Islamabad Omar Zakhilwal that Pakistan and Afghanistan could launch joint operation against the TTP chief Maulvi Fazalullah could be a message to the Pakistani militants, who are blamed for attacks on the border posts and villages.

Sources have told Daily Times that Pakistani and Afghan advisers in their London talks last month had reached some understanding to act on the lists of the wanted militants both sides have exchanged.