Mulla Omar’s family rejects Mansour’s appointment as new Taliban chief

PESHAWAR: After remaining behind the scene for the last few days to build up opposition to the newly-chosen Afghan Taliban head Mulla Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the family of the movement’s late supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar went public on Saturday to reject his appointment and demand re-election.
Through a Pashto statement recorded by Mulla Omar’s younger brother Mulla Abdul Mannan and delivered to this correspondent, the family said it had neither done “baiyat” (pledge of loyalty) to Mansour nor intended to do so. It proposed the holding of a larger Shura of pro-Taliban Ulema, field commanders and notables to hold consultations on resolving the issue of succession.
Mulla Mannan, who is also a member of the Taliban movement’s highest-ranking decision body the “Rahbari Shura” (leadership council), in his statement reminded that Mulla Omar wished the Taliban to remain united and he succeeded to a large extent in this task. “Our family wishes to play its role to fulfill the wish of our supreme leader Mulla Omar,” he added.
In particular, Mulla Mannan urged the Afghan Ulema not to take sides in the prevailing situation and refrain from showing allegiance to any contender for the position of Ameer (head) of Taliban movement. “Instead, we urge the Ulema to play their role in resolving the differences among the Taliban over the issue of succession and keeping the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate united and strong,” he added.
The statement issued by Mulla Omar’s family, which is respected by the Taliban rank and file due to the popularity of the late supreme leader, effectively put it into competition with Mansour. The anti-Mansour camp got a boost with the support by Mulla Omar’s family for its proposal to convene a larger Shura of Ulema, field commanders and notables to appoint the new head of the Taliban movement. At present, Mansour appears unlikely to accept the proposal as it would mean undoing his appointment as the Ameer and undertaking the election process afresh.
Mansour’s supporters countered the argument put forward by his rivals that Mulla Omar too was chosen as the “Ameerul Momineen” in a large Shura of Ulema in Kandahar in 1996 by arguing that those were relatively peaceful times and the Taliban were in control of several provinces. They said Taliban were presently in a state of war and the situation demanded quick action to overcome the differences in their ranks. Besides, they pointed out that pro-Taliban Ulema, field commanders and notables cannot be easily and securely brought together to one place to attend the Shura as they were scattered all over Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, fateha for Mulla Omar was offered at different places in Afghanistan and Pakistan and his death was condoled and mourned. Many people visited Mulla Omar’s brother Mulla Mannan and the eldest son, Mulla Mohammad Yaqoob, to offer condolences while others sent messages or issued statements.
The anti-Mansour group through its spokesman Mulla Abdul Mannan Niazi said the condolence ceremonies for Mulla Omar should not be turned into political gatherings. “No politics should be done while performing the religious ceremonies. These should not be used for seeking support for Mansour,” he stressed. The Mansour camp used the Taliban website and official spokesmen to publicise the gatherings of his supporters held in different venues in Afghanistan to show allegiance to him. Pictures were also published showing such gatherings in Ghor, Paktia and other provinces. Clips of the sizeable gathering where Mansour’s “baiyat” was in progress were also available on the Taliban website.
Many were caught by surprise by a message by Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network, in which he is stated to be offering condolences on the death of Mulla Omar and highlighting his achievements and at the same time welcoming the appointment of Mansour as the new Ameer of the Taliban movement. The statement by the elder Haqqani, who is a former Mujahideen commander and father of the Haqqani Network head Sirajuddin Haqqani, came a few days after reports in the media that he had died almost a year ago. The Haqqani family and the Taliban have denied reports about his death, though they conceded that he was quite ill.
Condolence messages on Mulla Omar’s death have come from far and wide, including the Syrian militant group, Ahrar al-Sham, the former Afghan mujahideen leaders Gulbaddin Hekmatyar and Pir Sayed Ahmad Gailani and the families of late mujahideen leaders Maulvi Yunis Khalis and Maulvi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi. Surprisingly, a condolence meeting was also held in Kabul and attended by members of parliament, officials of the Afghan government’s High Peace Council and former Taliban figures. It was strongly criticised by the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan’s women activists who described Mulla Omar as a notorious figure who killed thousands of Afghans.