Hakimullah Mehsud is alive: Taliban

Terming media reports 'baseless' that head of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed in an American drone attack in North Waziristan of Pakistan, Taliban spokesperson Azam Tariq said that the TTP head is 'safe and the report is a ploy to create panic amongst the militants in the area.'

Earlier, some TV channels reported that the chief of TTP has been killed during a drone attack in North Waziristan. The incident took place in Garyom village, on Thursday morning, when two missiles were fired at the home of Muhammad Yaqoob, a tribesman that resulted in the killing of eleven persons.

Talking to rediff.com from an undisclosed location in Waziristan via phone, Azam Tariq said, "Hakimullah Mehsud is safe while the killed persons in the attack are ordinary tribesmen."

Azam Tariq wondered that ' how could Mehsud be killed in North Waziristan, when he is currently leading the fighters in South Waziristan.'

He also criticised a section of the media for such 'baseless reports' and said,"It is very irresponsible of media to carry such false reports; Hakimullah was also reported killed in August last year, but everyone saw that he emerged; actually it is a plan to create panic amongst the militants, but our enemies would never succeed in their plans."