LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Saturday to have arrested 21 suspected militants of

banned organisations and thwarted a major terror plot during a series of intelligence-based operations in various districts of the province.

The operations, conducted under the diligent efforts of the Punjab CTD, aimed to preempt any potential untoward incident of terrorism.

In a statement released by the CTD spokesman, it was revealed that a total of 135 intelligence-based operations were carried out in different districts of Punjab.

These operations led to the interrogation of 135 individuals, ultimately resulting in the arrest of 21 suspected militants.

The suspects were identified as Suhail Ahmed, Shahid, Muhammad Amin, Gul Rehman, Muhammad Azad, Muhammad Ishaq, Muhammad Ejaz, Abdul Rauf, Javed Iqbal, Saifullah, Sher Muhammad, Muhammad Mudassar Shakeel, Muhammad Iqbal, Isa Khan, Shahbaz Ali, Muhammad Naeem, Umar Farooq, Muhammad Tahir, Muhammad Asif, Zakirullah and Raja Dawood.

According to authorities, these individuals are believed to have affiliations with banned organisations, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Daesh and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.

The operations spanned multiple areas, including Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Attock, Jhelum and Narowal.

During these operations, law-enforcement personnel seized a substantial amount of weaponry and prohibited material from the arrested individuals. Notably, the recovered items included 5,118 grams of explosives, two hand-grenades, two IED bombs, 30 detonators, 77.3 feet of safety fuse wire, 6.3 feet of prima cord, a 30-bore pistol, a 9mm pistol with three bullets, 13 books from banned organisations, three magazines, 82 pamphlets, 316 stickers, 27 flags, a receipt book, and a sum of Rs113,740 in cash.

The CTD has taken swift action, registering 18 cases against the arrested suspects and relocating them to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

Additionally, in a concerted effort to ensure safety of the province, the CTD, along with the local police and security agencies, conducted 700 combing operations within a week.

During these operations, a total of 29,829 individuals were screened, resulting in the arrest of 49 suspects. Moreover, 32 first information reports (FIRs) were registered, and 21 recoveries were made.

The CTD remains resolute in its mission to secure the province from terrorism and anti-state elements.

The spokesman emphasised that no effort would be spared in bringing militants and those with malicious intentions to justice.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023