13 terrorists planning to sabotage elections arrested

MULTAN/RAWALPINDI: The security forces during operations in different parts of the country on Tuesday arrested 13 terrorists planning to sabotage the upcoming general elections.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested four terrorists belonging to the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and recovered huge explosive from them.

According to CTD sources, the security forces raided a locality near Bakhtawar Amin Hospital on Lahore-Multan Road and arrested four TTP terrorists who were planning to attack election gatherings in Multan.

The terrorists identified as Abdul Salam, Muhammad Liaquat, Wajidullah and M. Ahmed wanted to target leadership of political parties and election candidates in Multan.

The CTD officials recovered five grenades, weapons, maps of their targets and the TTP literature from their possession. The CTD Multan has registered cases against the arrested terrorists. The CTD officials confided to The News that the Punjab CTD had foiled four terrorism plans during last three weeks in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal and Faisalabad. Some, 16 threat alerts had been received in July and hundreds of activists and facilitators are under strict watch of the CTD.

Meanwhile, the ISPR said five terrorists were apprehended in joint raids by police and Rangers in Dera Ghazi Khan and Lahore. Punjab Rangers and police, together with intelligence personnel, conducted intelligence-based operations (IBOs) and snap checking in different areas of Punjab, the statement said. The areas where these raids were conducted included Attock, Sialkot, Mianwali, Bahawalpur and DG Khan. Police and paramilitary personnel nabbed five terrorists in an IBO in DG Khan, according to the ISPR, while their facilitator was arrested from Lahore.

The raids also resulted in arrest of 24 other suspects, with illegal weapons seized from them. The security forces also conducted an IBO in Ghazi mountains astride Sibi-Kohlu road. The ISPR said three terrorists were apprehended during the operation. It said explosives, weapons and ammunition including detonating cord and communication equipment were recovered.

In another operation, the security forces conducted IBO on terrorist hideout in Awaran. During the operation, four terrorists were killed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered.