Former spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan’s criticism of the top leadership
The present leadership has adopted a nationalist attitude instead of a jihadi ideology. -Ehsan Ullah Ehsan
PESHAWAR
GHAG Report
Reliable sources have reported that disagreements over specific ideological matters have resurfaced among the different factions of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and that some of its more extreme commanders seem to be taking a strong stance against the nationalist concepts and opinions of the organization’s current leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud. Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and Lashkar-e-Islam are just a few of the organizations that have either joined forces with the TTP or are its supporters. Over time, these organizations have not only become independent, but they have also begun to voice criticisms of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud’s teachings and methodology.
In this regard, among others, former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan issued a statement on his X-account yesterday in which he criticized the views of the central leadership and said that the leadership has turned to nationalist politics and ideology instead of jihadist ideology under the influence of social media, which is a negation of the founders and basic ideas of TTP.
The statement claimed that rather than focusing on jihad and ideology, the leadership was harming the movement’s foundation and philosophy by adopting a failing policy of appeasing a certain segment by taking a position on other matters, such as FCR in the tribal areas. Ehsanullah Ehsan had previously accused Manzoor Pashteen of being a military establishment agent and denounced the present TTP leadership’s embrace of the outlawed PTM. They are not tenable. In the same vein, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar organization had previously challenged the present TTP leadership regarding their usage of social media.
It should be noted that Ehsanullah Ehsan and several other senior commanders were regarded as not just close associates of Umar Khalid Khurasani, but also in 2013-2014 when conflicts occurred in the TTP over a negotiation process, Ehsanullah Ehsan along with others remained prominent among the hard-core group’s founding members. Ehsan and others were once again opposing the central leadership. Yesterday, he stated that Al-Ahrar had conducted operations against the military in several other places, including Kurram and Bannu.