- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sat, 01 Mar 2025 04:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lahore: Pakistan Law enforcement agencies arrested 20 terrorists, including a Sikh, allegedly belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Punjab province of Pakistan, police said on Saturday.
A Punjab Police Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) spokesperson in a statement said law enforcement authorities foiled a major terrorist plan by arresting 20 TTP terrorists during 162 intelligence-based operations in different areas of Punjab this week.
"Three extremely dangerous members of TTP -- Manmohan Singh, Naqeebullah and Riyaz -- have been arrested from Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Rahim Yar Khan, respectively," the statement said.
According to the statement, 6,238 grams of explosives, 23 detonators, safety fuse wire 61 feet, three IED bombs, and banned literature have been recovered from their possession.
"They planned to target important buildings in Lahore and other cities. Eighteen cases have been registered against the arrested terrorists, and further investigation is being carried out," the statement said.
Pakistan explosions
The arrest came on the same day when twin blasts rocked the country. The death toll in the suicide bombing during Friday prayers at a seminary in northwest Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to eight, including a top cleric, police said.
The blast, which claimed the life of Hamidul Haq Haqqani, chief of his faction of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) and caretaker of the Madrassa-e-Haqqania, located in Akora Khattak town of Nowshera district, left 17 others injured ahead of the fasting month of Ramazan, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah confirmed.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IGP Zulfiqar Hameed said Hamid ul Haq Haqqani was the sole target of the bombing. The attack occurred as Hamid ul Haq was heading home with his companions when the suicide bomber struck a gate of the mosque through which he would enter his residence, the official said.
The blast comes after the cleric had received threats at a conference of the Islamic Scholars Association, wherein he said preventing girls' education was against Islamic teachings, security sources said. Sources also said the masterminds of the attack were identified and an action was being taken against them. However, they have no connection with any religious institution, the security sources said.
(With inputs from agency)