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Rehman Malik announces $1 million bounty on Pakistani Taliban spokesman
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has offered a $1 million bounty for Ehsanullah Eshan, the central spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack on 14-year-old activist Malala Yousufzais life.Speaking to CNN in an interview late Monday, Malik said that security agencies were investigating the attack and hunting down those whose involvement had been ascertained. All our law enforcers, intelligence agencies are hunting all those who were involved. I have got some other names which I would not like to mention on record because it may damage the investigation. But let me (as)sure my Pakistani nation, and the entire world, that we will get them very soon, the interior minister told CNNs Christiane Amanpour. Malik said that according to details unearthed in the probe, the assassination attempt on Malala was planned in Afghanistan. Four people came from there. One of the guys, we have identified and (a) few of his associates have been arrested. One of the fiancee of one of the terrorists has been detained, and all possible leads which we have developed we are following it, said Malik, vowing to hold all those responsible to account very soon. Moreover, the interior minister affirmed that the government was providing security to Malalas family and to two other girls also wounded in the same attack. Malik says Radio Mullah new Pakistani Taliban chief Later on Tuesday, the interior minister said that intelligence reports suggested that powerful militant commander Radio Mullah Fazlullah was being made the central leader of the militant umbrella group the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). We have reports that Mullah Fazlullah was being made the chief of the TTP, Malik told reporters in Mingora, Swat. He said that the reason Fazlullah was being made leader was that current chief Hakimullah Mehsud had been underground and inactive, and had not been commanding most of the operations of the TTP. Fazlullah is the chief of the Swat Taliban, which previously had control over the Swat region and is believed to have melted away across the border following a Pakistani military offensive in 2009. Fazlullah is now believed to be based in Afghanistans Kunar province. A spokesman for the Swat Taliban had claimed that two killers from Fazlullahs special hit squad had been sent to target young schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai. The spokesman had further threatened to kill the girls father following the failed assassination attempt on the girls life. Posted by: tipper 2012-10-16 |
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