Iqbal admits he has many aliases

MILF Chief Peace Negotiator Mohagher Iqbal at Thursday’s (Feb 12, 2015) Senate hearing on the Mamasapano clash (Photo courtesy of Sen. Grace Poe’s Facebook page)

MANILA – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief peace negotiator on Wednesday admitted that “Mohagher Iqbal” is not his real name.

He said that it is only one of his many aliases, a disclosure that surprised the members of the government peace panel and the House of Representatives.

“I have so many names. That is natural in revolutionary organizations,” Iqbal said.

Ang Nars Rep. Leah Paquiz asked him to confirm if he was indeed a Malaysian citizen and he was using pseudonym to travel.

Iqbal, however disputed claims that he was a Malaysian citizen and refused to disclose his real name.

He also noted that the Department of Foreign Affairs which issued him a passport, knows his real identity.

He then released pictures of the passport in a bid to disprove that he was a Malaysian citizen but the passport’s name was blurred to protect his real identity.

Iqbal also added that it was common for a revolutionary member to have many names citing national heroes who did the same.

“Just for the record, for instance, one of the national heroes, Marcelo del Pilar, listed here nine names. Even (Jose) Rizal has many names,” Iqbal said.