Security

Ehsanullah Ehsan exposes militants as enemies of Islam, Pakistan

By Muhammad Ahil 

Ehsanullah Ehsan (centre) is shown in an undated photograph with the late Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud (right) and Khalid Balti alias Muhammad Khurasani, Ehsan's successor as militant spokesman. [Courtesy of Muhammad Ahil]

Ehsanullah Ehsan (centre) is shown in an undated photograph with the late Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud (right) and Khalid Balti alias Muhammad Khurasani, Ehsan's successor as militant spokesman. [Courtesy of Muhammad Ahil]

PESHAWAR -- Pakistani militants received sharp criticism from former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Liaquat Ali, alias Ehsanullah Ehsan.

After almost a decade of vocally supporting outlawed groups, Ehsan, who also was a founding member of the TTP splinter group Jamatul Ahrar (JA), surrendered to Pakistani authorities and called on other militants to lay down their arms.

The TTP, JA and other militant groups have been misusing religion as a tool to loot, plunder and kill the innocent in the name of Islam, he said in a scathing confession released in April.

Ehsan said he was disgusted with militant commanders who distort Islam and propagandise youth into slaughtering the innocent and destabilising Pakistan.

"The so-called 'jihadists' have misled people in the name of Islam, especially the youngsters," said Ehsan in his confessional video released April 26 by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). "They never followed Islam in its true spirit or by the standards they demand of others.

Their crimes against youth and other civilians, such as "bombing public places and attacking schools and universities", traduce Islamic teachings, he said.

'Victory in war on terror'

Ehsan's startling revelations of the brutality and anti-Islamic actions of militant groups carry weight among the groups' members, already splintered and hiding along the Pakistani-Afghan border, say analysts.

The confession exposes the true face of militants who profane Islam, misuse the ideology of "jihad" and use innocent young men as cannon fodder in both countries, they say.

It also proves that Pakistan's counter-terrorism measures are paying off, they add.

"It is a great victory in the war on terror," Brig. (ret.) Mehmood Shah of Peshawar, former security secretary for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), told Pakistan Forward.

"The surrender of Ehsanullah Ehsan to the authorities means a lot; he was a key Taliban commander and can give important leads to shatter the militant network in the settled and tribal areas of Pakistan," he said.

Militants have been fleeing for years and have no place to survive in Pakistan or Afghanistan, he said.

"Ehsan, like many others, chose to surrender," he said, adding, "Many more will follow."

"It's a great blow to the entire militant structure," he said of the surrender.

Ehsan's video message appears to back up Shah's assessment.

"As the Pakistani army destroyed several [JA] camps in Parcha and Lalpura and killed many of their fighters, their morale is low," he said.

"The leadership has been shaken up," he continued. "Many in the camps want to quit. I urge them to give up arms."

Ehsan concluded by advising Pakistani youth not to fall for militant recruiting on social media.

Ehsan shows true face of militants

Ehsan's surrender and call for others to follow his lead represent a "big success", said Prof. Hassan Askari Rizvi, a security analyst from Lahore and political scientist emeritus at University of Punjab.

"He was a key figure," Rizvi told Pakistan Forward. "He will give more leads. He knew the structure of both TTP and [JA] and even knew the foreign fighters. His co-operation will provide [Pakistani security forces] more access to the militants' structure."

"Ehsan's accusations against TTP and JA leadership are quite powerful," he said. "They will be a blessing for innocent Pakistani youth who were deceived in the name of Islam and 'jihad'. Now that they know the true face of the militants ... many will not volunteer for suicide bombings."

"It is the beginning of a new dawn for Pakistani youth who were deceived," Prof. Jamil Ahmad Chitrali, a sociologist and director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at University of Peshawar, told Pakistan Forward.

Ehsan's surrender and confession are "significant", said University of Peshawar political scientist Syed Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi.

"He knows a lot about these organisations [the TTP, JA, al-Qaeda and Punjabi Taliban]," he said. "He'll be a key in shattering those groups."

Meanwhile, many Pakistanis on social media exhibited hard feelings for a man who publicly supported terrorism for years. Whatever the value of his confession, they say, there is no need to offer him clemency.

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10 Comment(s)

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Terrorists have destroyed our youth. Laying weapons down by Ehsaan is an encouraging step.

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I have a different point of view; I think he should have been kept in a safe house; presenting before media is totally wrong, terrorists are very clever. They will change their network and all the hideouts soon. It would have been better if there would be activity silently upon his information and afterwards he could have been shown off.

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Right to forgive is entitled to the person who possess the right. Remember the tragedy of APS Peshawar in which drank the blood of one hundred thirty-four delicate buds. Remember that time of agony? Leave everything aside. Hold on for a while and read memos you wrote by yourself on your wall. Look at the blood of these children whom you had dipped the fingers and wrote the demands. Listen to the raging tone. Do consider enraged words. How words are growling by shearing wrap. Kill, hang, blown up, destroy, erase name and trace, collapse. Isn’t it all what you said and wrote? Come back. Answer a question. When you got hurt, who took the responsibilities with pride? Who was smiling at your mother’s hue and cry? Ehsanullah Ehsan - Do you know Ehsanullah Ehsan? The one who was the spokesperson of the TTP. The same spokesperson of the TTP. Who had joined the Khurasani faction of TTP after disintegration of TTP. The one who surrounded and killed you at the Karachi airport. Who attacked three times on the school-going children vans in Peshawar. Who blew up the knowledge of the city in the court of Quetta. Who tortutered in blood the dancing wounded souls in Sehwan Sharif. We kept on crying. We were wailing. No? But what happened? Ehsanullah Ehsan asked for pardon, we accepted. Made any difference? Not so. We are living too and he too looks so well sitting next to us with satisfactorily smiling.

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Brother! who told you to be army's counsel; army knows the task of governing the country better than so called people like you; People like you even pledge your faith with Jews and Christians against a few bucks.

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It’s really about need to not relying much and we have complete confidence at our security agencies that are regularly scarifying their lives. But if their unity can be broken as well, then there is no harm in exploiting them as state witnesses, when it is already a practice in Pakistan, fugitives are being pardoned in Baluchistan.

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Excellent

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Its good effort for our forces...But cant belive on him it's a big leader of TTP so must observe never trust ....Allah blessed our Pakistani fauj ameen

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Just let India know, its over. Now, Kalbhoshan will be hanged during the parade at Wahgah Border.

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Well done Ehsanullah Your findings are not new for us. With the support of Raw, a whole network is working for them and give them all the information and also there are some politicians who are their agents, especially Rubbish Khan who always condemns Government even for its developmental works.

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Excellent reporting

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