US designates Taliban Chief Mullah Fazlullah as Global Terrorist

United States has designated Maulana Fazlullah, chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)- an outfit of Pakistan’s Taliban, as global terrorist and has imposed sanctions against him.
It was announced after US Secretary of State John Kerry had asked Pakistan to target all terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Taliban and the Haqqani Network that pose a threat to itself, neighbours like India and to US.

What does it means? 

• Being designated as global terrorist, all the property and interests of Maulana Fazlullah that are in US or that come within the US, or the possession or control of US persons will be freezed.
• It also prohibits US nationals against engaging in transactions with Maulana Fazlullah.

Why Maulana Fazlullah is designated as global terrorist?

• In November 2013, he was elected as TTP chief commander after the death of former TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
• Under his leadership, TTP had carried out barbaric attack on army school in Peshawar on 16 December 2014, killing at least 150 people, mostly children.
• In 2012, prior to becoming the leader of TTP, he was behind the killing of Pakistani Army Major General Sanaullah Niazi as well as ordering the shooting of schoolgirl and activist Malala Yousafzai (later won Nobel peace prize-2014).
• He is also responsible for the beheading of 17 Pakistani soldiers.

It should be noted that United Nations and US already have declared Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as banned Terrorist Organisation after Al-Qaeda.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2015