2 November 2013 Last updated at 01:45 ET
Mehsud became leader of the Pakistani Taliban in 2009
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A tense Pakistan is awaiting the announcement of a new Taliban leader, after Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike on Friday.
Few details are known about Mehsud's funeral, which is expected to take place on Saturday.
Local media say Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna is widely tipped to become the new leader.
Pakistani officials fear Mehsud's death will have seriously hampered planned peace talks with the Taliban.
He was killed along with four other people - including two of his bodyguards - when four missiles struck their vehicle in the north-western region of North Waziristan, a senior Taliban official told the BBC.
Talks 'sabotaged'Continue reading the main story[h=2]Analysis[/h]
M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad
Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed one day before Pakistani officials say they were scheduled to send a three-member team to start peace negotiations with the Taliban.
Pakistan's interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar, told a local TV news channel, Geo, that the drone strike was an attempt to "sabotage" Pakistan's peace talks with Taliban.
But many believe Mehsud's death will leave the field open for groups that are known to have publicly favoured a rapprochement with Pakistan.
One of these groups is headed by Khan Said Sajna, the successor of Waliur Rehman, a militant commander who favoured talks with Islamabad and once contested for the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Rehman was killed in a drone strike in May.
Sajna is one of those now tipped to succeed Mehsud.
Neither the Pakistani nor US governments have officially confirmed or denied the reports.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the US president's National Security Council, would not comment on any US government involvement or confirm the death but said, if true, it would be a serious loss for the group.
Several previous claims of Mehsud's death, made by US and Pakistani intelligence sources, have proven untrue.
Without commenting on Mehsud's death, the Pakistan government said it strongly condemned the drone attack as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
The attack occurred on the same day the government announced it was about to send a delegation to North Waziristan to try to get peace negotiations with the Taliban under way.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to talk with the Taliban to try to end its campaign of violence, which has left thousands dead in bombings and shootings across the country.
But Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the drone strike was "an attempt to sabotage the talks" with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
He held talks with other party leaders on Friday and reportedly expressed deep concern about the killing's impact on government contacts with the militants.
Potential successorsMehsud's funeral is expected to take place on Saturday afternoon, with some reports saying it will be held in the main town of North Waziristan, Miranshah - some 5km from where he was killed.
Another report, in Pakistan's Express Tribune, said Mehsud had already been buried - in an unknown location in North Waziristan. The report cannot be independently confirmed.
Continue reading the main story[h=2]Hakimullah Mehsud[/h]
The Pakistani capital of Islamabad is reportedly on alert with an intensified security presence in the wake of the attack, police told local media.
Taliban commanders are also expected to meet on Saturday to debate Mehsud's successor.
There are conflicting reports in Pakistani media about who will become the next TTP chief, with some sources naming Mehsud's cousin, Qari Walayat Mehsud, and others reporting militant commander Khan Said Sajna as the chosen successor. Mullah Fazlullah is another candidate.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that Khan Said Sajna may be favoured.
Sajna heads one of the more influential groups that favours dialogue with the Islamabad government, he says.
Our correspondent says that the influential Punjabi Taliban may also have a say. Although they cannot dominate the Mehsud-led TTP, the Punjabi force, he says, plays an important role in supplying highly trained and ideologically motivated fighters.
Mehsud's death is seen as another setback for the militant group after the recent capture of a senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan.
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Hakimullah Mehsud spoke exclusively to the BBC in a recent interview
Mehsud, who led the insurgency from North Waziristan, had a $5m FBI bounty on his head and was thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
He had come to prominence in 2007 as a commander under the militant group's founder Baitullah Mehsud, with the capture of 300 Pakistani soldiers adding to his prestige among the militants.
His second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, was killed in a similar drone strike in May.
But BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says that, however weakened the Taliban may be by this loss, they will fight on under a new leader.
In a rare interview with the BBC two weeks ago, Mehsud said he was open to "serious talks" with the government but said he had not yet been approached.
Mehsud denied carrying out recent deadly attacks in public places, saying his targets were "America and its friends".
He had loose control over more than 30 militant groups in Pakistan's tribal areas.
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Continue reading the main story
A tense Pakistan is awaiting the announcement of a new Taliban leader, after Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike on Friday.
Few details are known about Mehsud's funeral, which is expected to take place on Saturday.
Local media say Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna is widely tipped to become the new leader.
Pakistani officials fear Mehsud's death will have seriously hampered planned peace talks with the Taliban.
He was killed along with four other people - including two of his bodyguards - when four missiles struck their vehicle in the north-western region of North Waziristan, a senior Taliban official told the BBC.
Talks 'sabotaged'Continue reading the main story[h=2]Analysis[/h]
Hakimullah Mehsud has been killed one day before Pakistani officials say they were scheduled to send a three-member team to start peace negotiations with the Taliban.
Pakistan's interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar, told a local TV news channel, Geo, that the drone strike was an attempt to "sabotage" Pakistan's peace talks with Taliban.
But many believe Mehsud's death will leave the field open for groups that are known to have publicly favoured a rapprochement with Pakistan.
One of these groups is headed by Khan Said Sajna, the successor of Waliur Rehman, a militant commander who favoured talks with Islamabad and once contested for the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Rehman was killed in a drone strike in May.
Sajna is one of those now tipped to succeed Mehsud.
Neither the Pakistani nor US governments have officially confirmed or denied the reports.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the US president's National Security Council, would not comment on any US government involvement or confirm the death but said, if true, it would be a serious loss for the group.
Several previous claims of Mehsud's death, made by US and Pakistani intelligence sources, have proven untrue.
Without commenting on Mehsud's death, the Pakistan government said it strongly condemned the drone attack as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
The attack occurred on the same day the government announced it was about to send a delegation to North Waziristan to try to get peace negotiations with the Taliban under way.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to talk with the Taliban to try to end its campaign of violence, which has left thousands dead in bombings and shootings across the country.
But Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the drone strike was "an attempt to sabotage the talks" with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
He held talks with other party leaders on Friday and reportedly expressed deep concern about the killing's impact on government contacts with the militants.
Potential successorsMehsud's funeral is expected to take place on Saturday afternoon, with some reports saying it will be held in the main town of North Waziristan, Miranshah - some 5km from where he was killed.
Another report, in Pakistan's Express Tribune, said Mehsud had already been buried - in an unknown location in North Waziristan. The report cannot be independently confirmed.
Continue reading the main story[h=2]Hakimullah Mehsud[/h]
- Became overall leader of Pakistani Taliban in 2009, aged 30, after his predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, died in a US drone strike
- Masterminded campaign against Nato convoys in Khyber tribal region and Peshawar
- Emerged as a prominent fighter after reputedly leading a raid that captured 300 soldiers
- In 2010, he appeared in a video alongside a Jordanian who later killed seven CIA agents in Afghanistan in a suicide attack
The Pakistani capital of Islamabad is reportedly on alert with an intensified security presence in the wake of the attack, police told local media.
Taliban commanders are also expected to meet on Saturday to debate Mehsud's successor.
There are conflicting reports in Pakistani media about who will become the next TTP chief, with some sources naming Mehsud's cousin, Qari Walayat Mehsud, and others reporting militant commander Khan Said Sajna as the chosen successor. Mullah Fazlullah is another candidate.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that Khan Said Sajna may be favoured.
Sajna heads one of the more influential groups that favours dialogue with the Islamabad government, he says.
Our correspondent says that the influential Punjabi Taliban may also have a say. Although they cannot dominate the Mehsud-led TTP, the Punjabi force, he says, plays an important role in supplying highly trained and ideologically motivated fighters.
Mehsud's death is seen as another setback for the militant group after the recent capture of a senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan.
Hakimullah Mehsud spoke exclusively to the BBC in a recent interview
Mehsud, who led the insurgency from North Waziristan, had a $5m FBI bounty on his head and was thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
He had come to prominence in 2007 as a commander under the militant group's founder Baitullah Mehsud, with the capture of 300 Pakistani soldiers adding to his prestige among the militants.
His second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, was killed in a similar drone strike in May.
But BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says that, however weakened the Taliban may be by this loss, they will fight on under a new leader.
In a rare interview with the BBC two weeks ago, Mehsud said he was open to "serious talks" with the government but said he had not yet been approached.
Mehsud denied carrying out recent deadly attacks in public places, saying his targets were "America and its friends".
He had loose control over more than 30 militant groups in Pakistan's tribal areas.