The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab has arrested 89 terrorists in a sweeping three-month campaign across the province, officials said on Monday, underscoring the scale of intelligence-based operations being conducted to dismantle militant networks.
According to CTD officials, a total of 940 intelligence-based operations were carried out between June and August, resulting in the capture of dangerous operatives linked to multiple banned outfits. Among those arrested were 55 members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), five militants affiliated with Daesh, and two belonging to Al-Qaeda.
The suspects were apprehended from several districts, including 14 each from Lahore and Rawalpindi, seven each from Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, six each from Jhang and Sargodha, five from Sahiwal, four from Gujranwala, and three each from Gujrat and Bahawalnagar. Those arrested were identified as Ishaq, Shoaib, Hamza, Javed Iqbal, Ishaq Khan, Zahid, Suhail, Asad, Tahir, Munir, and others.
Security officials said the militants were planning attacks to spread fear and panic among the public. Explosives, mobile phones, and cash were recovered during the raids.
Alongside the intelligence-based operations, the CTD conducted 13,521 combing operations across Punjab in the same period. During these actions, 552,692 individuals were questioned, and 1,131 suspects were arrested.
Officials emphasised that the operations reflected the CTD’s unwavering resolve to root out terrorism from Punjab. “The department remains fully committed to thwarting any attempt by militant groups to destabilise peace and security,” one senior official stated.
The sweeping crackdown, officials added, has significantly weakened the operational capacity of terrorist outfits in the province.
