Muslim Khan (1954 - 2017) was a captured Pakistani militant and former spokesman for the

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, i ...

chapter based in

Swat A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

and became the chief spokesman of the Swat Taliban in 2007.

Early life and education

Born in Kabal Tehsil,

, in 1954 Khan started out as a student activist of a left-wing secular party in the 1960s, but became a religious extremist in the early 1990s, becoming a part of

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM, ) is an Islamic extremist militant group. The group swore an Bay'ah, oath of loyalty to Pakistani Taliban and become the part of it in 2007 aftermath the siege of Lal Masjid. The group's stated objecti ...

's leadership in 1994. In an interview with

New England Foundation for the Arts The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, is one of six Non-profit organization, not-for-profit Regional arts council (RAO), regional arts organizations funded by the National E ...

, when asked about his usage of American-styled English and pronunciation, he revealed that he had lived for some time in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He had spent 4 years in the USA and worked as a painter in Boston. The BBC reported that Khan spoke Pashto, Urdu, English, Arabic and Persian, and had lived in or travelled across more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, Europe, the US and Asia.

Militant activities

In April 2009 he denounced any Pakistanis who disagreed with his interpretation of Islam calling them non-Muslims. It was also revealed due to a telephone intercept that Khan had urged attacks on the families of soldiers. "Strikes should be carried out on their homes so their kids get killed and then they'll realise". Before the start of the Army offensive against the Taliban, Khan claimed that his fighters controlled "more than 90 per cent" of Swat. After the 2009 operation in Swat he was still at large, vowing that his men will step up attacks.

Arrest

He was arrested on 10 September by the security forces of Pakistan in the suburbs of Mingora. He was one of eight men sentenced to death by a military court on 28 December 2016 for terrorism and other offences. Khan's appeal before the

Peshawar High Court The Peshawar High Court (PHC, ) is the provincial and highest judicial institution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. It is located in the provincial capital Peshawar. The Parliament passed a bill extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Cour ...

was weakened following the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

's decision in '' Said Zaman Khan v. Federation of Pakistan''. His sentence was briefly stayed by the High Court on 24 May 2017, on the basis of a petition filed by his wife, but he was eventually executed.

References

External links

Taliban in Pakistani Ex-Resort: `Welcome, Osama!'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Muslim Pashtun people Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan members Taliban spokespersons Living people People from Swat District Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Pakistani prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Pakistan Pakistani expatriates in the United States 1954 births