PESHAWAR: The rival groups in the Afghan Taliban movement continued efforts to gather support for their cause by taking positions closer to the liking of Taliban members on issues such as peace talks, democracy and the role of religious scholars in settling the dispute over succession following the death of their supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar.

The newly-appointed Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mohammad Mansour rejected peace talks with the Afghan government even though he had initiated the process on persuasion by the Pakistan government by sending a delegation to Murree on July 7 to negotiate with a team of officials who had come from Kabul.

He argued that discussing the peace process and negotiations was the work of the enemy and part of its propaganda against the Taliban.

It was obvious Mansour was seeking to reassure the Taliban rank and file, particularly the field commanders and fighters who are believed to be generally opposed to peace talks with the Afghan government.

He needs their support to be able to fend off the challenge to his leadership from the rival Taliban group. Mansour also pledged to continue ‘Jihad’ in Afghanistan, struggle for enforcement of Shariah and oppose the system of democracy.

Meanwhile, the anti-Mansour faction floated a proposal that a larger Shura of religious scholars be convened to hold consultation for choosing the new “Ameer” (head) of the Taliban movement.

It reiterated that Mansour had manipulated the process to get himself chosen as the “Ameer” by a small number of “Rahbari Shura” (Leadership Council) members. “Mulla Omar too was chosen as the “Amirul Momineen (Commander of the Faithful) by a large gathering of Ulema in Kandahar and the decision of the Shura was acceptable to all the Taliban members,” recalled Mulla Mohammad Hasan Rahmani, a former governor of Kandahar and presently a member of the Taliban Leadership Council.

The leading members of the anti-Mansour group,

including Rahmani, Mulla Mohammad Rasool and Mulla Abdul Razzaq, continued to meet pro-Taliban Ulema and clerics to seek their support for their proposal.

Mulla Mannan Niazi, a former Taliban governor of Herat and Kabul and now spokesman for the anti-Mansour faction, said it could take about a week to convene the meeting of Ulema to give recommendations on electing the new head of the Taliban movement.

He told The News that the gathering could take place even if Mansour and his supporters refused to attend. On his part, Mansour offered to make way for anyone else chosen by those deemed to be credible and holding positions of responsibility in the movement.

Mansour’s comments about peace talks, democracy and the succession issues were contained in his speech to his supporters after getting their “baiyat” (pledge of loyalty) at an undisclosed location. The official Taliban spokesman released the recording of the 35-minute speech in Pashto to the media.

It was observed that the recording was of poor quality and the speech was repetitive. It wasn’t edited and whatever he said at the gathering, where Mansour also introduced his two new deputies, Sirajuddin Haqqani who is head of the Haqqani network and religious scholar Mulla Haibatullah Akhundzada, was recorded and sent to the media. Fateha for Mulla Omar was also offered on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Fateha was being offered for Mulla Omar at gatherings across Afghanistan and Pakistan in places where Taliban had a presence. Mulla Omar’s family, led by his younger brother Mulla Abdul Mannan and son Mulla Mohammad Yaqoob, was also being visited by Taliban mourners somewhere in Balochistan to offer their condolences. The family hasn’t yet made any allegations of foul play with regards to Mulla Omar’s death in April 2013 and has blamed nobody.

Mulla Omar’s family also hasn’t given “baiyat” to Mansour, who is considering offering some important position in the Taliban movement to Mulla Omar’s son, Yaqoob, to stop him from firmly joining his rival camp. Yaqoob had reportedly refused Mansour’s earlier offer to become the head of the Taliban military commission. The anti-Mansour camp wants Yaqoob to be made the new Taliban leader and successor to his father.

Mulla Omar’s brother, Abdul Mannan is already member of the Taliban Leadership Council, though he reportedly didn’t agree to Mansour selection as the new leader in the council’s previous meeting.

The role of Mulla Omar’s family is crucial at this point of time. It was learnt that it has decided not to support Mansour and instead back the demand for convening a meeting of Ulema to remove the differences over the issue of succession.

Mansour’s aides were pleased by announcements of support for him by a number of Taliban elders, field commanders and notables. They pointed that Taliban shadow governor of the northern Kunduz province, Mulla Abdul Salam, and a number of field commanders had welcomed Mansour’s appointment and pledged allegiance to him.

