FIA arrests 'TTP militant' wanted in KP terrorism

KARACHI: A terrorist wanted for terror attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was Monday arrested at the Karachi Airport after the Immigration Cell of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) foiled his plan to flee abroad, the agency told Geo News.

According to the FIA Immigration Cell spokesperson, the accused, named Ehsan-ul-Haq, was trying to escape abroad. The sources said he was a terrorist "associated with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)".

KP home department, the spokesperson added, had fixed head money worth Rs1 million to apprehend the terrorist, who hails from the province's Swabi district.

The FIA spokesperson said the terrorist will be handed over to the concerned authorities.

This is a major breakthrough for law enforcement agencies. The KP province, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a slew of terror incidents in recent months after the outlawed TTP ended its ceasefire with Islamabad, with other terrorist groups also increasing attacks. 

Earlier this month, a statistical report released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said July marked a significant upsurge in attacks, making it the second deadliest month of 2023, with 124 fatalities and 218 injuries.

The country, as per the report, witnessed 54 militant attacks.

The victims whose lives were lost included 77 civilians and 37 security forces personnel, while 181 civilians and 36 security forces personnel sustained injuries.

Comparing the data with June, the PICSS report revealed an alarming increase in terrorist activities. Meanwhile, the report also analysed the regional impact of terrorism with the tribal districts of KP province experiencing the highest number of militant attacks in July, with 83 people killed and 181 injured in 18 reported incidents.

Mainland KP, however, saw a slight decline in attacks and casualties, with eight deaths and 11 injuries reported in 15 incidents, compared to nine deaths and 17 injuries in June 2023's 17 incidents.