LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Saturday to have killed two suspected militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an encounter and arrested three others.

The CTD checked more than 20,000 people out of which 82 suspects were arrested across Punjab during April and cases were registered against them.

A CTD spokesman said the Punjab CTD had enhanced its intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province in view of the terrorism wave in the country. He said investigation had been started against 12 suspected persons identified in 11 intelligence-based operations, while the record checking and surveillance of the suspects on the watch list was in progress.

As many as, 299 combing and search operations were conducted during the month, the spokesman said and added that every possible effort was being made to eliminate the anti-state elements.

He said during the combing operation in other districts, two militants Irfanullah and Ilyas were killed in Rajanpur while three militants namely Haris, Saif and Ibrar were arrested. He said the arrested militants belonged to the banned organisations.

Hand grenades, detonators and explosive materials were also recovered from them.He said some 48 IBOs were conducted across Punjab in order to deal effectively with the menace of terrorism and avoid any untoward incident, in which 49 suspects were interrogated while three suspected people were arrested.

Moreover, 692 combing operations were conducted with the help of local police, in which 39,490 people were checked and 142 suspects were arrested while 112 FIRs were registered.

The spokesman said the CTD was pursuing its goal for a safe Punjab, and would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to put militants and anti-state elements behind bars.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023