Taliban threaten to kill Musharraf on return

 

Taliban threaten to kill Musharraf on return

 

 

Mushtaq YusufzaiSunday, March 24, 2013
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PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday threatened to send a squad of suicide bombers to kill former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf upon his arrival in Pakistan from self-exile.

A former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) employee Adnan Rasheed, allegedly involved in the assassination attempt on Gen Musharraf, has vowed to head the suicide bombers tasked to eliminate the ex-military ruler.

Gen Musharraf has announced to end his self-imposed exile and return home on Sunday from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is scheduled to land at the Karachi airport and participate in the forthcoming general elections.

The proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) released a videotape on Saturday in which its spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan and Adnan Rasheed recorded their statements.

Adnan Rasheed, who belongs to Chota Lahor in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was given a death penalty for allegedly trying to assassinate Gen Musharraf when he was in power.

He was imprisoned in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and later shifted to the Bannu Jail in KP where hundreds of militants stormed the prison in 2012 and released around 400 prisoners, mostly militants, including Adnan Rasheed.

In his video statement, Adnan Rasheed, while referring to Gen Musharraf’s plan to return home, said, “When the jackal’s death is near he heads to the city.”

He said they had prepared a special squad “to send Pervez Musharraf to hell”.

“There are suicide bombers, snipers, a special assault unit and a close combat team in this squad to kill him,” a bearded Adnan Rasheed explained in his English language statement.

In the video, hooded militants armed with AK-47 assault rifles are seen conducting military training with Adnan Rasheed.

Adnan Rasheed then addresses Gen Musharraf and says, “Pervez Musharraf you see the death squad around me. We ask you to surrender yourself to us, otherwise we will hit you from where you will never reckon”.

The TTP spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan also lambasted Gen Musharraf and blamed him for he alleged killing of “hundreds of students” of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad.

He said the former dictator once again was trying to fool the people by using the slogan of ‘first Pakistan’.

“Pervez Musharraf, who surrendered Pakistan to the US on a single phone call is responsible for the bloodshed in the country and killed and disappeared hundred of students of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid in Islamabad for demanding Shariah in the country. He sold hundreds of Arab fighters and daughter of the nation Dr Aafia Siddiqi to the US for the sake of few dollars. He is once again trying to mislead the people”, the TTP spokesman in the videotape explained.

He has also urged the Baloch people to stand behind the TTP in their armed struggle for the implementation of Shariah in the country.

“The Taliban are fully prepared to deal with this pharaoh. If Allah Almighty is willing, we will give this devil what he deserves and give satisfaction to the victims of the Lal Masjid, tribal areas and Balochistan”, the TTP spokesman said.