Militant commander Maulvi Faqir Muhammad declared himself the head of the Pakistani Taliban,saying he was temporarily replacing Baitullah Mehsud,who is believed to have been killed in a drone attack. Maulvi Faqir,the commander of Taliban fighters in Bajaur tribal region,contacted journalists on phone and declared himself as the new chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan on Wednesday. He denied reports of Mehsuds death,saying he is alive but seriously ill and that is why he had gone into hiding. Faqir said no meeting of the 42-member Taliban council known as a shura has yet been convened to elect a new head and reports about the meeting were baseless. He also said commanders Wali-ur-Rehman and Hakimullah Mehsud had no right to elect a new Taliban chief without consulting all militant factions. US and Pakistani officials say they are certain that Mehsud was killed with his wife and bodyguards in a drone attack in South Waziristan on August 5.
