Ahrar-ul-Hind

Ahrar ul Hind (Urdu: احرار الہند‎; lit. freedom fighters of India) was a militant Islamist group in Pakistan that split from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in February 2014. During peace talks between the Pakistani government and TTP, Ahrar-ul-Hind issued a statement to the media rejecting the talks,[1] and announcing that they would not accept any peace agreement. Following its initial announcement, the group claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Pakistan,[2] including the Islamabad court attack, before merging into the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group in August 2014.[3]

Etymology

The group's name literally means freedom fighters of India (referring to the Indian subcontinent as a whole).[4] According to a commander of a Taliban group, the group derived its name of "Ahrar" from Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam, because the Ahraris were against the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan; they, rather, believed that the entire subcontinent was their homeland. The commander said that the group planned to expand their operations to the remaining part of the subcontinent.[5]

Split from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

The group mostly contained Taliban from Mohmand Agency's Tribes,[6] with some members from the Punjabi Taliban based in southern Punjab.[4] Many of its members are based in eastern Afghanistan.[4] While the group claimed to have split from the TTP because of opposition to peace talks with the government and after advice from a certain Paracha saab (a patwari of note),[7] some observers believed the group was used by the TTP to carry out deniable attacks without disrupting the cease fire talks.[8]

Relations with TTP

The Pakistani government made disowning Ahrar-ul-Hind a condition of the TTP for peace talks to continue, while simultaneously carrying out airstrikes on Ahrar-ul-Hind bases.[9] In response, the Taliban announced a ceasefire and accepted the condition of dealing with Ahrar-ul-Hind. After this announcement, the group claimed an attack on the Islamabad High Court in March 2014.[10]

In August 2014, Omar Khalid Khorasani merged Ahrar-ul-Hind with other dissident TTP commanders into a new group called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, formally splitting away from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in September 2014.[3][11]

See also

References
  1. "Ahrar-ul-Hind, a new group of terrorists on screen". AAJ News. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  2. "Ahrar-ul Hind claims bomb attacks in Quetta and Peshwar". The News. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  3. "Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar forms in northwestern Pakistan". Long War Journal. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. "Ahrarul Hind claims support of senior TTP commanders". Dawn. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  5. "Pakistani jihadists form Ahrar-ul-Hind, vow to continue attacks". The Nation. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  6. "Ahrar-e-Hind (TTP Mohmand Group) : the 21st Century reincarnation of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam Hind". Pak Tea House. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  7. "Pakistani jihadists form Ahrar-ul-Hind, vow to continue attacks". Long War Journal. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  8. "Pakistani Taliban tactics spread silent fear". Asia Times. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  9. "PAF air strikes on militants' hideouts kill 35". The News. 20 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  10. "Twin suicide attack in Islamabad district court leaves 11 dead, 25 injured". The Express Tribune. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  11. "Pakistan Taliban faction announce split, new leader". Agence France-Presse. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
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