KARACHI: Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are hunting for an Afghan national who was the head of the intelligence agency under the Taliban regime and has close contacts with Osama bin Laden. Hamdullah, popularly known as Mufti Inaam, was the intelligence chief under the Mullah Omar-led Taliban regime with a post equivalent to a cabinet member. He distanced himself from the government shortly after the September 11 attacks. Before that he was considered to be one of the six hardliners spearheaded by Mullah Omar. Soon after the US campaign began in northern Afghanistan, Hamdullah crossed borders and hid in the northwestern parts of Pakistan. He remained underground in Peshawar for quite some time and also helped many of his friends and colleagues in Afghanistan enter Pakistan through safe routes before the fall of Kandahar.
| Sounds like he was Plan B... |
Mr Hamdullah also assisted many Arab families to migrate to Pakistan and arranged their safe settlements in various parts of the country. Intelligence reports show that Hamdullah nicknamed himself as Mufti Inaam in Pakistan and remained in contact with certain jihadi groups and Al Qaeda operatives for many months. The investigators believe that he had functioned as a bridge between jihadis and Al Qaeda operatives and might have direct links with Osama bin Laden. Hamdullah is also said to have played a pivotal role in creating the Pakistan-Afghanistan Defence Council that arranged a number of violent demonstrations across the country and along with Sufi Mohammad’s Tanzim-e-Nifaz Shariat Mohammadi.
| Just moved right in and made himself at home, didn't he? Wonder if he's an MNA from NWFP now? |
The sources said the Pakistani agencies were initially not aware that Mr Hamdullah and Mufti Inaam were the names of the same person during interrogation of some members of the banned outfits. The grilling of some suspected Al Qaeda operatives by Pakistani intelligence officials and FBI personnel corroborated it and since then the country’s agencies have launched a countrywide search to find him.
| "Yeah. We just didn't notice, y'know? We thought his alias was 'Bob'..." |
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