The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday said in a statement that it had arrested 17 suspects linked with banned organizations during several intelligence-based operations (IBOs).
The CTD said that officials in various parts of the province carried out 132 IBOs. The CTD interrogated 134 suspects throughout these operations, leading to the arrest of 17, Dawn reported.
Two of the arrested suspects were revealed to be connected to the TTP (Ghazi Force) and held in Attock, according to the statement stating that they had “targeted Chinese nationals” as part of their plans.
The statement also revealed that three were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants in Dera Ghazi Khan, adding that they were reportedly “Planning to attack worship places.”
Six of the 17 terrorists detained belonged to the TTP, while the other six belonged to the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). While the other three suspects belonged to various organizations, two had ties to Daesh.
In the course of the operation, law enforcement officers seized several weapons, including two 30-bore pistols, four hand grenades, seven detonators, 893g of explosives, three magazines linked to a prohibited group, pamphlets, stickers, and two mobile phones, along with Rs17,780 in cash and two magazines.
Recently, the militants have increased their attacks in several parts of the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab, targeting police officers, foreigners, and ordinary people.
