Armstrong I am writing a book on this topic which is 250,000 words, so I have more knowledge than can be made available in one post. Issue is how to summarize it.
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TaimiKhan @
haviZsultan @
Sher Malang @
Monkey D Luffy @
Pukhtoon : Yeh
Khan Sahib kiyaa bol rahaa haiii ?
Is there any truth in this 'Mehsud are sell-outs' thing ?
First let me re-introduce myself. I, since I was 10 have been opening up a newspaper and reading it. As I grew up i became a bit of a King in the field of politics depanting people like Luffy... but in the real world knowledge wins you respect... so my position grew and eventually I became a solid nationalist. Since the war on terror began I have been monitering everything that has happened with a keen eye. My knowledge on the war on terror caused a lot of people to invite me to give speeches and a number of things though my focus has always been not on Pashtuns but rather Pakistan as a whole and effects of terrorism on it as a whole.
About 4 years ago I decided to write a book called Badal (meaning revenge in Pashto-if you research it is one of the tenets of Pashtunwali and Wazirs and Maseeds I would say take Badal very, very seriously-no offense meant to Hyperion though who is a city Pashtun and his ways possibly having changed. Also not meaning to offend a lot of Maseeds and Wazirs who live very peacefully and don't take part in the internecine tribal warfare.)... however busy in Canada with my position as a Nationalist leader, women
and just life I scrapped the book for a bit.
I started writing again about a year ago. My book is about Mahsuds and the main character is a Maseed. This required a lot of research, describing the local environment, traditions, way of life... the homes there which are built like forts (though poorer families live in simple mud-brick ones) and Hyperion can confirm this because it is true to both Maseeds and Wazirs (if he happens to be a Wazir). This I believe has armed me with knowledge to answer your question.
Where does this come from-Why are Mahsuds being called traitors to Pakistan: The TTP or tehreek e taliban Pakistan during its initial stages comprised of an amalgamation of arab, uzbek and other foreign militants who worked in conjunction... it was loose, it was weak at that time. This is 2004-2007. The lal masjid operation exacerbated tensions and the Taliban started gaining power-not only that calling for war against Pakistan. The death of Nek Mohammed Wazir also changed the scene (So Hyperion initially TTP was run by a Wazir). To go into the background Pakistan had a peace deal with Nek Mohammed Wazir when he was struck by a drone.
I would like to cite to @
Hyperion that there has been an operation in Wazir areas too (and this was one of the first operations under Musharraf), namely Wana operation and the Mir Ali operation but these were earlier, usually up till 2007 when a wary peace was underway.
Now why are Maseeds being called traitors.
Reason 1: Maseed rivalry with virtually everyone else in South Waziristan. Let me name the tribes. Ahmedzai Wazir who occupy the border regions and the most developed settlement, Wana. Then the Burki's who are constricted to their ancient homeland kaniguram (can't tell you much because the one burki i tried to interview said.... shockingly he was not a Pashtun before telling me that Maseeds were infiltrating Kaniguram and shoving Burki's out of their homes) I can say however Kaniguram is the best place to but weapons in South Waziristan. Next come the Bhittani's who control a strip of land to the east borderlands of South Waziristan and are like the Wazir's, ancient rival's to the Maseeds. So the Maseed doesn't find many friends!
Exacerbating the issue is many Mahsuds are involved in kidnapping and raids in neighboring cities outside the tribal areas like Bannu, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Residents of all 3 cities dislike them, most particularly those of Bannu (from where my friend Feroz's mother is)
The political agent of South Waziristan is usually a Wazir, not a Mahsud and there are very deep tensions between the tribes in general. The FCR plays a part in this in some ways but I will not delve into the intricate details for lack of time. So basically lots of resentment towards other tribes and tribal rivalries.
With everyone complaining against the Mahsuds and no one wanting to understand them... well its a sucker for the Maseeds because the tribes that surround them basically refer to them as terrorists and traitors.
Reason 2: I have told you about the background (cutting out many parts like the battle with the Uzbeks in Wana 5-6 years ago)... after the lal masjid operation... things began to shift towards the Mahsuds. The Taliban or TTP became a Maseed dominated concern. Baitullah Mahsud took hold and ran the movement for a while, Wali Ur Rehman (Even Asmatullah a cousin caught in Karachi) and Qari Hussain all are Mahsuds and top leaders of the TTP. Right now the TTP heavily relies on Mahsuds as its backbone though yes it is true they have uzbeks afghans and arabs too...
but its not really a tribal movement of Mahsuds.... lets look at some of the commanders, particularly for areas other than South Waziristan-which is the center of the Tehreek E Taliban Pakistan-sorry if I failed to mention that before.
-Asmatullah Shaheen-he is a commander of the TTP. Guess who he is? A
Bhittani and he has immense power in the eastern belt of South Waziristan.
-Tariq
Afridi... his name says it all. He has power in Khyber and constantly threatens.
-Maulvi Abbas
Wazir who was recently killed in the bomb attack on his office possibly by Nazir's retaliating militants. @
Hyperion sorry I am not trying to prove Wazirs are terrorists here but making the point that this is a collective issue of Pakistani/ true Pashtun society which with divisions might become much more difficult to deal with.
However it is true that Hakimullah's main bastion is Ladha/Makeen (covered in my book)
Is it true?: No, I disagree with this. Mahsuds may make the majority of militants in the TTP right now but personally i do not think it is right to brand them traitors... as my previous post proves the Taliban do not consist of one tribe even if one tribe makes up its majority it is very similar to the suggestions made by people with little understanding calling for the bombardment of all Pashtuns. Its not going to fix the issue @
Hyperion but make things more complex.
There are deep underlying reasons for things going on the way they are in FATA. A number of Maseeds also cite a drone strike that killed a number of Maseed seminary students who had nothing to do with militancy but either way with the ban on journo's information difficult to ascertain. There is a different story for each person, each Maseed.
There are many aspects I just can't cover. This is a huge topic, armstrong. And @
Hyperion... its going to be useful if tribals concentrate on repealing the FCR and collective responsibilities act rather than bickering. Its the cause of tribe being so important to people in the tribal areas since one persons actions means an entire tribe is responsible. Its an inhuman law. People of Pakhtunkhwa organized themselves and FATIAN's are involved in a non-issue. Tribal internecine warfare is useless.
I admit Maseeds have a larger role in the Taliban than other tribes and many have been involved in extortion in bordering cities too but does it mean each Maseed is a terrorist or criminal. No. Also if the Maseeds are all labeled terrorists-Wazirs may come next. This is a pretty useless debate.
I have always stated that each race has its value to Pakistan, marra. I will state that each tribe makes the *true* Pashtuns/Pakistanis rich and no tribe is better than the other. Leave this art to Luffy who called Khattaks and Niazi's traitors.
I have 2 close friends from Mehsud tribe of Pakistan one of them living in Saudi Arabia other in Karachi both are good buddies of mine never noticed any sell-out sort behavior from them I know them from last 12 years.
Sher Malang has said something useful from his mouth in contrast of many of his fellow Afghans mouths which usually know only how to divide and abuse our country. I am grateful. Stay away from Luffy. I don't want a foreigner corrupting my son.
@
Hyperion even if a lot of the Taliban fighters are maseeds including their top leadership... the issue is far more grave than that. We cannot isolate and wage war against an entire tribe.
Btw there is a Maseed on twitter I know, patriotic Pakistani, to the CORE! His twitter handle is @MeFixer or something. Follow me too if you want, my twitter page is in my signature... I am working on a book called Badal which actually focuses on the Mahsuds but also looks at Burki's (kaniguram) and Yousafzai's (Also covers Swat). Its about the war on terror and looks at the possible reasons and how the Taliban have made a bastion there. It's fiction though but covers the issues and problems for the average citizen of Waziristan and what makes them the fierce tribals we hear about all the time.
Hyperion I have been told you are a Wazir though it was an untrustworthy, foul mouth which is as putrid as an Afghan (nation) gutter not having seen any maintenance for years. I have been operating on that assumption in my post. If not get my whip.
Luffy, dalta rasha!!!
