Pakistan/Terrorism: Tehreek-e-Taleban chief is probably alive

Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency claimed on Thursday that Hakimullah Mehsud, the Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) chief who was believed to have been killed in a US drone attack in January, is alive. An ISI official added that Hakimullah was wounded in the South Waziristan attack, but survived.

The revelation contradicts claims made by the US and Pakistani officials, including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who then had asserted Mehsud's death. However, no hard evidence was available to confirm the claim till date.

The doubts over the credibility of Mehsud’s death intensified after Mehsud reportedly contacted the BBC office in January to clarify the rumours of his murder. A video footage of Mehsud also surface soon afterwards, but it was not confirmed whether it was made after his alleged death. The TTP has been consistently denying that Mehsud was killed in the strike, but also declined to prove otherwise, saying it would compromise his safety.