LAHORE: Punjab’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested 10 terrorists after conducting 73 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province, the agency said in a statement on Saturday. The operations took place in cities like Rawalpindi, Toba Tek Singh, Khushab, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Bhakkar, and Jhelum.
A CTD spokesperson said the operations were carried out due to a terror threat. Among those arrested were two terrorists linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), caught in Khushab and Jhelum. The CTD recovered explosives, an IED bomb, a detonator, 35 feet of safety fuse wire, pamphlets, cash, and mobile phones from the suspects.
The arrested terrorists were named as Riaz, Shafiq, Rashid, Javed, Zaheer, Zaheeruddin, Hafeez, Wazir, Asif, and Waheed. The CTD said the group planned to carry out attacks to create fear and panic among the public.
The statement also noted that 107 suspects were detained during 758 combing operations last week, with 30,394 people questioned. The CTD, part of the provincial police, works to prevent terrorism and gather intelligence to ensure security in Punjab.
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According to media report , Pakistan has seen more terror attacks in the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. A recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said February had 79 terrorist attacks, killing 55 civilians and 47 security personnel, and injuring 45 civilians and 81 security personnel. Security forces killed 156 terrorists, injured 20, and arrested 66 in response, the report added.
