LAHORE: The provincial capital police have heightened the security level in the city following a terrorism threat to the headquarters of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), four police stations and police units in Lahore.

The threat was issued by the Khurasani group of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), after which the police high-ups held a meeting to devise a strategy to counter any possible terror activity in the city.

“It has been learnt reliably that the defunct TTP (Khurasani network), operating under its commander, Ali Zar, has planned terrorist activities to target the police units in Lahore,” reads the special information report of the Punjab Police.

The police stations the terrorist group allegedly intends to target include Mozang, Badami Bagh, Racecourse and Batapur.

Similarly, the Liberty Market Facilitation Centre, the CIA Kotwali and the CIA headquarters are also among the targets of the terrorist organisation, according to the police report.

It says that motive of the TTP’s Khorasani network may be to avenge the recent killing of a terrorist, Faizan Butt. He was killed in a police encounter after his arrest in the DHA, Lahore. Faizan had allegedly killed some policemen in the provincial capital.

“The reconnaissance of the aforementioned establishments has already been carried out for the execution of the said terrorist activities,” reads the police report.

Lahore Operations DIG Faisal Kamran tells Dawn the police high-ups are taking the threat by Khurasani network seriously.

“We have heightened vigilance by taking necessary precautionary measures, and by sensitising the concerned quarters,” he says, adding that more police personnel have been deputed in and outside the CIA headquarters, the police stations and other buildings.

The DIG says that massive and frequent combing operations have been launched with the help of the LEAs and the sister intelligence agencies in the vicinity of the police buildings which could be targeted by the terrorist outfit.

He adds that patrolling by Dolphin Squad and other police units has also been intensified, besides issuing revised standard operating procedures (SOPs) to check the entry of visitors and police personnel to the above-mentioned police buildings.

“We have also alerted the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), besides taking on board the Special Branch of the Punjab Police,” Mr Kamran says.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024