The Pakistani Taliban has named Khan Said alias Sajna to head the dreaded terror outfit following the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a suspected U.S. drone strike.
Sajna, a trusted lieutenant of Mehsud, was appointed by the Shura or consultative body of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturday after getting 43 of 60 votes. He was previously responsible for TTP operations in South Waziristan, reports Al Jazeera.
Pakistan has put its security forces on high alert after Friday's killing of Mehsud in the North Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan where the U.S.-led coalition forces often faced attacks from across the border. Mehsud was buried late on Friday night, according to Pak media.
The TTP was behind some of the most high-profile attacks in Pakistan in recent years, including the 2008 bombing of the Islamabad Marriott hotel and the attempt on the life schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai last year.
Officials said Mehsud was killed while returning from a conclave of Taliban leaders who met to discuss the Pakistani government's offer for talks.
His killing is likely to mar potential peace talks between the Taliban and the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who promised to end the Taliban insurgency after a landslide election win in May last. The talks are yet to take place, while opposition parties accused the United States of using drone strikes to scuttle the process before it had even started.
Former cricketer Imran Khan, who heads the Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party that rules the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the strike had "sabotaged" peace talks. "It has proved that they do not want peace in Pakistan," Khan said and threatened to block NATO supplies transiting through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) religious party, which is helping the Sharif government in establishing contacts with the Taliban, has also condemned Friday's attack.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.