PESHAWAR, Jan 10: Major-Gen (retd) Naseerullah Khan Babar, known for his role in the founding of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and an operation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Karachi and Hyderabad, died here on Monday. He was 83.

Born in Ismael Khel, near Akora Khattak, Major-Gen (retd) Babar had been confined to bed for two and a half years after suffering a stroke. On Sunday, he was taken to the CMH because of respiratory problems.

He was laid to rest in Pir Piyai village in Nowshera district. A large number of people attended his funeral.

Gen Babar quit the army in 1974 and worked as governor of the NWFP (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) from 1975 to 1977. He was elected MNA on PPP ticket in 1993 and then prime minister Benazir Bhutto appointed him as her adviser.

As interior minister, he carried out a ruthless operation in Karachi against the MQM in 1992.

In 1994, he launched an operation against the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariate Muhammadi in Malakand Division when militants led by Maulana Sufi Muhammad occupied several government installations. He also launched an operation in Khyber Agency against the Tanzeem-e-Ittehad-i-Ulema, a Bara-based organisation which ran its own 'court' to try and sentence people.

He took part in wars with India in 1948, 1965 and 1971 was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat and Hilal-i-Jurat.