TNSM chief Sufi Mohammad resurfaces in Peshawar

Peshawar, July 26 (ANI): After being mysteriously declared missing at the start of the military offensive in the Swat and Malakand Divisions, the ehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad has reportedly resurfaced in Peshawar.

A private television channel spotted Mohammad during a TNSM meeting.

"Sufi left the meeting after he spotted the camera," the channel reported.

Mohammad had changed his looks to keep his identity secret, The Daily Times reports.

"Sufi has trimmed and dyed his beard red to keep his identity secret" a TNSM supporter said.

According to sources, Mohammad and his family members were taken into protective custody just before the government launched a military offensive against the Taliban and other extremists in the North West Frontier Province's (NWFP) Swat and Malakand Divisions.

Mohammad and his 12 family members had moved to Mirpur, in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Pakistan Government released the 80 year old TNSM chief in a bid to strike a peace deal with the Taliban, but failed to do so. He thereafter went missing days before a full fledged military operation was launched in the region. (ANI)