Pakistan's counter-terrorism squad detains 9 suspected IS, TTP terrorists in Punjab

Pakistan Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday claimed to have detained at least 9 suspected Islamic State (IS) and Tehrek-i-Taliban (TTP) terrorists from Pakistan's Punjab province. The arrests came after 42 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out in several districts of the province intending to mitigate any untoward incident, ANI reported. Additionally, the CTD also interrogated 45 suspects from whom the aforementioned nine had alleged links to the said terrorist organisations.

As per the ANI report, the CTD team nabbed a suspect identified as Roman Ullah from Multan province. Around 1/2kg high explosives, 1/4kg low explosives and two non-electric detonators were recovered from his location. Apart from his, the officials also retrieved safety fuse 05m, prima cord 1.82m, 1.5kg nails, 750gm ball bearings, one 30 bore pistol with six bullets and Rs. 2,350 in cash.

Another three suspects, Subhan Allah, Loqman Shah and Jam Dad were also arrested from Lahore, a CTD spokesperson told ANI under conditions of anonymity. Heavy explosives of 550gm, a pistol with five bullets, five non-electric detonators, a safety fuse of 15 feet and Rs. 6,930 cases were reportedly found in their possession. Besides, the CTD squad also identified and arrested Sartaj alias Shan and Muhammad Wasal from Toba Tek Singh and recovered 1,815gm explosive, 14 feet of safety fuse wire and two detonators, along with Rs. 4,100 cash.

Crowd fires bullets at Pak minister  

The arrests come just ahead of a gun attack on Pakistan Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Darra Adam Khel area. The minister, however, escaped the attack and returned unhurt, the Dawn reported. Faraz was travelling back from Kohat, where he had visited as a part of the latest local government elections held on Sunday. He was "attacked" and fired upon by a crowd. Nevertheless, he "miraculously" escaped even though his driver was injured, the minister wrote in a tweet after the incident.

It is pertinent to mention that similar and subsequent violence in Pakistan comes while PM Imran Khan-led government in Islamabad has continued its unfettered support to the Taliban government and upheld its call for the immediate legitimisation of the Afghan ruling body despite harrowing instances of terrorism-related activities, human rights abuses and a crackdown on media and critics.

Pak PM justifies Taliban ban on education for girls

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Pak PM Imran urged the international community to be 'sensitive to tribal customs' while justifying the Taliban's stance on banning young girls from attending school, in a shocking statement while speaking at the 17th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) hosted in Islamabad. "Pre-conditions on the Taliban that they should hold up humanitarian and women rights and that terrorism should not flow from Afghanistan; otherwise financial aid will be cut, their foreign reserves frozen, banks shut - this is very important. The one time I met the Taliban finance minister, he categorically said that they want to comply with these three conditions. We have to be sensitive about human rights and women rights," he said, adding an example of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where he claimed that locals wouldn't send girls to schools even if a stipend was provided. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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