MUST READ: SOUTH WAZIRISTAN'S MAULVI NAZIR: THE NEW FACE OF THE TALIBAN

South Waziristan's Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban
By Hassan Abbas

Pakistan is experimenting with the Taliban yet again. The primary focus of the effort is to de-link the Taliban from al-Qaeda and bring them back into the Pakistani sphere of influence. Uzbek militants have been the first “casualty” of this re-alignment. Potentially, remaining Arab militants will be next. Tribal forces in South Waziristan under the leadership of Maulvi Nazir are at the forefront of this “movement.” Extremist notions of religion remain their bread and butter, but new political objectives also guide their activities on the ground. This, in short, defines the neo-Taliban phenomenon. It is critical to understand the background, motivations and alliances of Maulvi Nazir to fully comprehend what is transpiring in the region. Maulvi Nazir (also known as Mullah Nazir), is 32 years old, a dual citizen of Pakistan and Afghanistan and is married with a son and daughter (The News, May 4; Boston Globe, April 21). Although he presently resides in South Waziristan, he is a frequent traveler to Afghanistan’s Paktika province and Kandahar where he owns some property (Boston Globe, April 21). Common to the area, his extended family lives on both sides of the Durand Line. He belongs to the Kakakhel tribe, which is a sub-clan of the Ahmedzai Waziris (who dominate parts of South Waziristan) [1]. Intriguingly, his first association was with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hezb-e-Islami, a favorite of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) during the days of the anti-Soviet jihad (The Friday Times, March 30). His battle experience and guerrilla training are not that of an amateur. He later joined the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and remained politically aligned with Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s JUI party (Daily Times, January 9).

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Pertinent Links:

1) South Waziristan's Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban