PESHAWAR - The Pakistani Taliban Wednesday claimed two of their commanders including a former spokesman of Swat chapter have been fatally poisoned while in custody of the security forces. In a statement issued to the media, The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said the two commanders were arrested in Peshawar along with five other members when they visited the city for peace talks with the government in 2009. “Our members were kept in different prisons and tortured till August 25 this year (when two of them were) poisoned to death,” the statement said.
Muslim Khan was spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban when it ruled Swat from 2007 to 2009, where it imposed a harsh brand of Sharia law and carried out public floggings and hangings.
The second commander was named as Mehmood Khan, but no further details were given about his former role in the organisation. The scenic Swat valley is also the homeland of Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.