LAHORE, April 16: The Punjab police claimed on Friday to have arrested two alleged terrorists, one of them wanted by the Sindh police in the US reporter Daniel Pearl murder case.

IGP Saadatullah Khan said in a statement that the Special Intelligence Unit had rounded up the alleged terrorists, who were planning criminal activities. He didn't specify the time and place of the arrests.

Mr Khan said Malik Tasadduq alias Shahid of the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi was wanted by the Sindh police in the Daniel Pearl case. He was also wanted in a case of an armed attack on a prison van in which notorious terrorist Dilawar escaped.

Two police officials were killed and several other officials and prisoners were injured in the attack. The other militant, Nadir Khan alias Sajjad Khan, a resident of Peshawar, was wanted by the NWFP police in connection with the murder of AIG (traffic police) Farooq Haider.

Nadir was also wanted in the case of the assassination of Anwar Ali Akhundzada, secretary- general of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan. The IGP said the interior ministry had announced rewards of Rs1 million for the capture of each of them.

Mr Khan said the Speed Intelligence Unit had been set up to accomplish the agenda of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to eradicate terrorism from society. It comprised former servicemen and police officers, he added. Saadatullah Khan said he had taken the unit under his control by separating it from the Crime Investigation Department.