Punjab’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) foiled major attacks by arresting 10 terrorists belonging to banned organisations during 189 operations in different areas of the province, the law-enforcement agency said on Monday.

Last month, Punjab’s CTD arrested 10 terrorists following 73 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province.

According to the CTD Punjab spokesperson in a statement issued today, the law-enforcement agency conducted 189 intelligence-based operations in different districts of the province in which 189 suspects were questioned and 10 terrorists were arrested along with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials.

These terrorists were arrested during intelligence-based operations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur.

“The arrested terrorists include Badal Singh, Suraj Singh, Siraj, Hidayatullah, Deedar Hussain, Sadaqat Hussain and others, the statement said, adding that that the terrorists are affiliated with Fitna Khawarij, Al-Zainabiyoun and other organisations.

“Terrorists Suraj Singh and Badal Singh were arrested from Rawalpindi along with a large quantity of explosives. Both terrorists belong to Nankana Sahib,” the statement added.

It further read that around 2,645 grams of explosives,16 detonators, 37 feet of safety fuse wire, as well as 75 pamphlets of banned organisations, magazines, mobile phones and cash were recovered from the possession of the terrorists.

The spokesperson said that the terrorists had planned to target important buildings in Rawalpindi and other cities. He added that nine cases have been registered against the arrested terrorists, and further investigation is being carried out.

The spokesperson said that during the current week, 2,053 combing operations were also conducted with the cooperation of local police and security agencies, 82,473 people were checked, 263 suspects arrested, as well as 226 first information reports registered.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

February saw a marginal increase in terrorist attacks but a sharp surge in civilian casualties, according to a report published by the Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

According to PICSS, the country witnessed 79 terrorist attacks last month, resulting in the deaths of 55 civilians and 47 security personnel, while 45 civilians and 81 security personnel were injured. Security forces, meanwhile, intensified counter-terrorism operations, eliminating 156 terrorists, injuring 20, and arresting 66, it said.