Mullah Omar 'hiding in Pakistan'

[Salahuddin]

Taleban leader Mullah Omar is living in Pakistan under the protection of its ISI intelligence agency, a captured Taleban spokesman has said.
The spokesman, Muhammad Hanif, made the apparent confession to Afghan agents who videotaped the questioning.

Mr Hanif is seen sitting in a dimly-lit room telling agents that Mullah Omar is in the city of Quetta. Correspondents confirm the voice is his.

Mullah Omar has not been seen since 2001. Pakistan rejected the claims.

'Baseless'

Afghanistan's intelligence agency distributed copies of the video CD to journalists on Wednesday.

We have no information on the whereabouts of Mullah Omar. He is not living in Pakistan

Aftab Khan Sherpao
Pakistani Interior Minister

Although the voice is confirmed as that of Mr Hanif, the conditions under which he made his statements are not clear.

He is sitting in the video and heard speaking in a soft voice.

Asked about Mullah Omar, he says: "He lives in Quetta."

"He is protected by the ISI," Mr Hanif adds, referring to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai made similar allegations last year.


Mullah Omar (C) and Taleban leaders are still at large

Mr Hanif also alleges that former ISI head Hamid Gul is supporting the Taleban against Afghan and foreign troops.

The ISI was instrumental in backing the Taleban after civil war swept Afghanistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989.

Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told the Associated Press news agency the claim that Mullah Omar was in Quetta was "totally baseless".

"We have no information on the whereabouts of Mullah Omar. He is not living in Pakistan.

"Afghan intelligence has made contradictory statements since the arrest of this so-called spokesman of Taleban. We don't know who this person is, and from where he had been arrested."

'Anthrax'

Afghan agents say they arrested Muhammad Hanif in the eastern province of Nangarhar near the border with Pakistan on Monday.


Two others travelling with him were also apprehended.

Nangarhar Governor Gul Aghar Sherzai said he had been picked up in a house which also contained what he described as packets of anthrax powder.

He did not say if the powder found was the deadly anthrax bacteria, or how much of it there was. Local intelligence officials and police would not confirm any discovery of anthrax.

Mr Hanif has been highly active over the past year, regularly e-mailing news organisations with the Taleban's version of events in the east of the country.

A man called Qari Mohammad Yousuf has performed similar functions for the Taleban in the south.

The two men were appointed after the capture in Quetta, Pakistan, of former Taleban spokesman Latifullah Hakimi in October 2005.

The Taleban have confirmed Mr Hanif's arrest.

On Wednesday, they named a replacement, Zabihollah Mojahed, the Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press reported


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6272359.stm

 

[Awesome]

With enough punches and kicks I can make confess the Taliban are an Alien race.

 

[Salahuddin]

Was this posted in wrong thread?

 

[Salahuddin]

Why didnt Musharraf think of that before? didnt he know Northern aliance are pro Indian bas**** ..

 

[Awesome]

He knew that always. Hence the constant bickering between him and Karzai.

 

[Cheetah786]

Although the voice is confirmed as that of Mr Hanif, the conditions under which he made his statements are not clear.

i am wondering what kind of conditions would those so called Agents b if they were in pakistani police hands......Iam willing to bet they will admit a MOnkey is there Dady

 

[Mansoor A Qureshi]

Salam o alaikum,

I am back guys, i have seen that news at TOLLU television in kabul, a AKDN run big network in afghanistan, the full news bulletin was against Pak, that channel is banned in Pak, but i think this channel should be alowed to be seen so the poeple of Pak can understand about the afghans, the rallies against Pak, tearing and burning of Pakistani flags every week, after i got back to Kabul everyone was asking me the fencing issue, The afghan govt is unable to curb the talibans but always accusing Pak for giving support to talibz, the main reason for all this is the afghans living on our soil, we must terminate the refugee status and send them back so this trespassing issue will be solved but i dont know what the govt is going to do handling the issues, it is the time that supreme court must take some actions against it, i dont know when this is going to an end?
and i will ask other collegues and friends at this forums can there be any evidence that mullah omer is hiding at quetyta, i think it is bull **** and baseless claim, this is an western/indian idea to create pressure on Pak, and our govt like always is pushed to bend on knees , like always our politicians want piece of the blood that is drawn out of the poor pakistani nation, army is trying to inject its retired officer to every corner of the administration toi draw the last drop of the blood, securing lands and every possible resource of our mother land, total CHAOS, i feel suffocating seeing all this, who will be the rescurer of the nation, army was the last resort but alas..........

Regards,

Mansoor

 

[JK!]

What do they wish to achieve by such a statement?

To create tension between NATO, the US and Pakistan just so Karzai can say "I told you so" regarding ISI support to the Taliban.

Having a dig at Pakistan to pass the blame for a situation which we are trying to rectify to the best of our abilities will not help the current problems. It is incredible ingratitude considereing the number of PAK army soldiers killed in Waziristan but also to the fact that we gave hospitaltity to Afghan refugees.

 

[Cheetah786]

WE gave Refuge to AFGHans for humanitarian purposes
what we get in return.
1=suicide bombers
2= Ak 47 And any Kind of Ammo or gun u want
3= Heroin and other goods smuggled into Pakistan via afghanistan
4= Millions of afghan living in our country (burden on Pakistans economy)

What did indians get
1=reconstruction buisness
2=trade all kind of other benefits

Yeah i think Pakistan got the best end of the bargain.I say through the Freaks back into Afghanistan.Mine and fence the border.Let karzai feed and cloth them.:flag:

 

[JK!]

I second your proposal.

Just explain how and what the cost will be?

 

[Neo]

Kabul discredits itself

Afghanistan’s intelligence authority released a video Wednesday in which a captured Taliban spokesman informs us that Mullah Umar is hiding in Quetta under the protection of the ISI. What’s more, he added, the regular suicide bombings in Afghanistan are to be carried out by the Taliban, financed and equipped by the ISI. Suicide bombers are being trained in Bajaur, financed (sic!) by the ex-ISI chief General (Retd) Hameed Gul, he insisted.

Needless to say, the Foreign Office in Islamabad has vehemently denied the allegation. In fact, a genuine representative of the Taliban, speaking via a satellite phone, said the whole thing was a fib. The Afghan spooks who cooked up the story know very little of what goes on in Pakistan. It is a pity that the BBC actually thought it worth its while to quote the report without debunking it. While there is evidence that the Taliban have often found safe havens in Quetta, it is not known whether Mullah Umar is in the city. The last time he spoke he was thought to be located somewhere near Kandahar. It is also laughable to implicate General (retd) Hameed Gul in Bajaur where the Pakistan army has been attacking suspected training sites of Al Qaeda. Indeed, someone should inform the Afghan spies about where General (retd) Hameed Gul stands today in opposition to President Pervez Musharraf and his ISI. Kabul is discrediting itself by going public with such half-cooked, half-digested fabrications. *

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\01\19\story_19-1-2007_pg3_1