“Noor Wali Mehsud and Pakistan: From Ally to Adversary – A Tale of Betrayal, Blowback, and Lessons for India”, Gao chronicles, October 10, 2025
“The story of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is Pakistan’s self-made tragedy. A nation that used militancy as a foreign-policy tool now faces the monster it created. Noor Wali’s journey, from a madrasa-trained cleric in Waziristan to the architect of Pakistan’s internal insurgency, shows what happens when ideology is weaponised and then loses control.
Roots of Faith and Fire
Born in South Waziristan, Noor Wali belonged to the proud Mehsud tribe. He studied in Deobandi madrasas, immersed in rigid interpretations of faith. Early in life, he joined Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), the same movement that produced many of Pakistan’s radical clerics.
After 9/11, his worldview hardened. Pakistan’s alliance with the United States was, to him, betrayal. He saw the Afghan Taliban as true defenders of Islam and Pashtun honour. That sense of betrayal would define his path……..”
Read full article at goachronicle.com
