LAHORE: Dera Ghazi Khan police claimed on Saturday to have foiled the seventh attack of Khawarij terrorists on Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border this month, as per a handout.

On the other hand, the Counter-Terrorism Department claimed to have arrested 11 militants in different parts of the province.

A Punjab police spokesperson said teams of police, CTD and elite force were on a patrol and search operations in the border areas. When the police teams advanced on information about the presence of Khawarij terrorists near Kot Mubarak, the terrorists ambushed the personnel near Kot Mubarak and attacked them with an improvised explosive device (IED). The armoured vehicle suffered minor damage in the attack, while all the soldiers remained safe. The police teams exchanged heavy fire with the ambushed terrorists. The Khawarij terrorists were forced to retreat with immediate and vigorous retaliatory fire by the police personnel. IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar paid tribute to the soldiers who fought the terrorists bravely.

Dr. Usman Anwar said due to the alertness of the Punjab police, the terrorists are facing defeat on every front and Punjab police will ensure the security of the country and nation.

CTD nabs 11 militants in various operations across Punjab

The spokesman said QR teams under the command of DPO Syed Ali have surrounded the area and started a search operation. RPO Dera Ghazi Khan Sajjad Hassan Khan Manj said that the Punjab police is determined to destroy the evil intentions of the Khawarij terrorists. Meanwhile, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested 11 militants belonging to a banned organisation during operations in different areas of the province.

According to a spokesperson, the CTD conducted 166 intelligence-based operations in different districts, in which 166 suspects were questioned and of them 11 were arrested along with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials.

The arrested suspects include Haider Sultan, Wali Khan, Rehman, Zubair, Amin, Akbar, Maqsood Khan, Ibrahim Qasmi, Saddam, etc. The terrorists are affiliated with Fitna Khawarij and other organisations.

They were arrested in Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Pakpattan, Gujarat, Chakwal, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar.

The CTD recovered explosives weighing 2,735 grams, 19 detonators, a safety fuse wire measuring 35 feet, IED bombs, two banned organisation’s pamphlets, magazines, and cash.

The spokesperson said that the terrorists had planned to target important buildings and police in Lahore and other cities.

Up to 12 cases have been registered against the arrested terrorists, and further investigation is being carried out.

During the current week, 1,475 combing operations were also conducted with the cooperation of local police and security agencies; 61,603 people were checked, 422 suspects arrested, 357 FIRs registered, and 259 recoveries were made.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2025