ISLAMABAD: A police search operation targeting Afghan residents in Islamabad turned violent when officers were attacked, resulting in injuries to four officers and the arrest of 23 people who now face terrorism charges, authorities said.

The clash erupted in the Sarai Kharboza area when residents resisted the operation, according to an FIR filed at the Golra Police Station.

The report, lodged by Assistant Sub-Inspector Saqib Mehmood, alleges that a group led by a suspect identified as Mubeen abducted a police official, held him inside a house, and then set the building on fire.

Attackers also snatched a submachine gun from an officer and opened fire with the “intent to kill,” the formal complaint stated.

The 23 individuals arrested in connection with the incident are being investigated under multiple statutes, including Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

A team from the Counter Terrorism Department has launched a wider operation to find and apprehend additional suspects who fled the scene, police said.

In a separate incident, a police sub-inspector died of a cardiac arrest while on special assignment in Islamabad.

Officials said Sub-Inspector Mukhtar Ahmed was deployed at the Serena Hotel when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026