Pakistani Taliban chooses hard-liner as its new leader

The Pakistani Taliban has chosen the commander whose men shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai last year as its new leader, after the death of his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, in a U.S. drone strike last Friday.

The election of Maulana Fazlullah dampens expectations of any compromise between the Taliban and the Pakistani government, as Fazlullah has been a staunch opponent of peace talks in the past.

The announcement was made by caretaker leader Asmatullah Shaheen at a press conference at an undisclosed location in northwestern Pakistan.

"I congratulate all the Muslim brothers that Maulana Fazlullah has been elected as the new chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan" (TTP), Shaheen said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid, who confirmed Fazlullah’s election to Al Jazeera, said the decision was taken after a Shura Council meeting by senior Taliban figures. He noted that the new leader was not willing to engage in peace talks.

"There will be no more talks as Mullah Fazlullah is already against negotiations with the Pakistan government," Shahid said.

Fazlullah served as the Pakistani Taliban’s leader in the northwestern Swat Valley during the group’s rule from 2007 to 2009 before a military operation retook the area for the Pakistani government.

Nicknamed Mullah Radio for his fiery Islamist radio broadcasts, Fazlullah is considered a hard-liner even within the Pakistani Taliban movement itself.

His men shot and wounded Malala last year for promoting education among women in Swat, one of Pakistan's most conservative areas.

The killing of Mehsud came as Pakistani government representatives prepared to meet the TTP with a view to opening peace talks.

It triggered an angry response from Islamabad, with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar accusing Washington of sabotaging peace efforts.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was more measured, but said his government was committed to seeking peace through dialogue and stressed that an end to bloodshed could not be achieved "by unleashing senseless force."

In celebration of Fazlullah's election, there was heavy gunfire on Thursday in Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area where the Taliban is strong.

But those hopeful about the embryonic peace process in Pakistan are concerned about Thursday's news.

Imtiaz Gul, an author and expert on militancy in Pakistan, warned that the choice of such an uncompromising candidate would hasten a bloodier campaign from the TTP.

"It means they are not serious about any talks with the government," Gul told Agence France-Presse. "TTP will be more brutal now."

The TTP, an umbrella organization grouping numerous armed factions, has killed thousands of soldiers, police and civilians since 2007 in its campaign against the Pakistani state.

Al Jazeera with wire services