Tag: ctd

  • CTD operations in different cities lead to arrest of 38 terrorists

    CTD operations in different cities lead to arrest of 38 terrorists

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab has arrested 38 terrorists in various operations across different cities of the province this month.

    According to a CTD spokesperson, the 38 terrorists were apprehended in 449 intelligence-based operations conducted by CTD in various cities of Punjab this month.

    During this period, a trained terrorist affiliated with the banned TTP was also reportedly arrested in Lodhran and a main commander of Daesh was captured in Bahawalpur.

    Operations were also carried out in Lahore, Rahim Yar Khan, Narowal, Rawalpindi, and Multan.

    Intelligence-based operations were conducted in Jhang, Sargodha, Khanewal, Wahari, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, and Bahawalnagar resulted in the recovery of explosive materials, hand grenades, weapons, mobile phones, and cash from the terrorists.

    The spokesperson further disclosed that the arrested terrorists were planning attacks on law enforcement agencies and important installations.

  • Counter Terrorism eliminates eight terrorists involved in attacks on customs officials in DI Khan

    The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) stated that eight terrorists, who were involved in multiple attacks on custom officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district, Dera Ismail (DI) Khan, have been apprehended and killed.

    The CTD said in its statement that they killed one of the most wanted terrorists, Jahanzaib, during Monday’s operation in DI Khan.

    The eliminated terrorists were also involved in attacks on security forces and target killings.

    “The escape routes of the terrorists were blocked,” the CTD said, adding that there is a fear of the presence of facilitators of terrorists in the local population.

    “Strict action is also being taken against the facilitators,” the agency maintained.

  • CTD makes ‘progress’ in threatening letters case

    CTD makes ‘progress’ in threatening letters case

    The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is getting closer to uncovering the person behind the threatening letters sent to judges of the Supreme Court and various high courts, Geo News reported on Monday.

    Geo sources say that CTD has been actively following key developments in the investigation since they received the forensic report on the handwriting in the letters.

    The investigation department matched the letters written to judges in the Supreme Court, Islamabad, and Lahore High Courts. According to forensic reports, the same person wrote the letters to judges in all three courts under the names Resham, Reshaman, and Gulshad Khatun. The letters were also sent through the same post office.

    “There is a single mastermind behind sending threatening letters to judges,” sources within CTD told Geo News, adding that arsenic found in the letters to the judges was also bought by the same person.

  • Pakistan says no to talks with Taliban

    Pakistan says no to talks with Taliban

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that Pakistan is not engaged in peace talks with the proscribed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), emphasising that neither does it plan to hold such talks in future.

    She remarked in a press briefing, “I will reiterate what we have said in the past. Pakistan is not holding any talks with the terrorist organisation, the TTP. We have no plans to hold these talks with TTP.”

    Recently, a video gained traction on social media showing the Afghan deputy interior minister advising Pakistan to resolve issues with TTP through talks because Pakistani military could not win this war. He also underscored that TTP does not enjoy public support at all that is why they should mediate with Pakistani authorities too.

    When asked about the Afghan minister’s comments, Baloch replied, “Islamabad expects the Afghan authorities to take action against these terror groups and their leadership for the crimes they are committing and terrorist attacks for which they are responsible in Pakistan.”

    The strong statement came after a terror attack in Shangla targeted Chinese nationals. CTD’s investigation hints that the attack was planned in Afghanistan.

  • CTD arrests terrorists involved in Shangla Suicide attack

    CTD arrests terrorists involved in Shangla Suicide attack

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested more than 10 terrorists and their facilitators involved in the recent suicide attack in Shangla’s Bisham city last week.

    The attack took the lives of six people, including five Chinese nationals, drawing widespread condemnation from the country’s civil-military leadership.

    Last week, a Chinese investigation team arrived in Pakistan to probe the unfortunate incident and expressed its interest to collectively work with Pakistani authorities. CTD sources said that the terrorist commander who was primarily responsible for bringing the suicide bomber into Pakistan has been arrested.

    Moreover, the explosive-laden vehicle used in the attack was made in Afghanistan and smuggled into Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan Chaman border crossing in Balochistan. From there it was transported to Chakdara in Lower Dir via a smuggler – who has also been arrested.

    The mastermind behind the attack has been named as Hazrat Bilal who is currently wanted by the authorities.

  • Sher Afzal Marwat claims Islamabad police raided his house

    Sher Afzal Marwat claims Islamabad police raided his house

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat claimed on Monday that unidentified people with masks on their faces raided his house in Islamabad.

    The PTI leader told Islamabad High Court (IHC) about the incident while speaking during a hearing on the recovery of Baloch students.

    After hearing about the incident, IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani expressed surprise, pointing out that the PTI leader was not talking about Lakki Marwat, but Islamabad.

    The court asked what will happen to common citizens of Pakistan if such an incident can happen to an elected member of the parliament of Balochistan. 

    Earlier in a tweet, Marwat claimed the CTD police raided his house and broke the doors causing damages. “…they stressed out my family and staff and confiscated my laptop. I managed to run away from my home and now I am at a safe place. This is an illegal raid and I will challenge the IG and SSP operation Islamabad in the court for this criminal act; the confiscation of my laptop is illegitimate. It contains my private and professional data, (that may be) subjected to misuse. These cowardly tactics will not scare me, or force me to step back from our mission, which is for the larger cause — the fight for true democracy in Pakistan,” he wrote on X.

    On the other hand, Islamabad police denied the claim. Fake news was being spread to gain public attention, the police maintained.

  • ‘Balach’s murderers be punished’; Protests in Turbat enter eight-day

    The Balochistan government has put together a four-member committee to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in a clash with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat.

    The committee, formed under Section 3(1) of the Balochistan Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance 1969, will be led by Fisheries Secretary Imran Gichki and includes the Deputy Inspector General of Quetta police, Deputy Commissioner of Kech, and Gwadar SSP.

    The committee is mandated to complete its inq­uiry, determine the incident’s motives, and submit its report within 15 days.

    Balaach Mola Bakhsh’s funeral took place on Wednesday, and a subsequent sit-in at Fida Shaheed Chowk saw the family and organizers expressing their commitment to continuing protests until justice is served.

    The case

    On November 24, four men were killed in an alleged encounter by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). Among them, Mr Bakhsh, Shakoor Baloch, Saif Baloch were identified, while the identity of one person remains unknown.

    However, conflicting accounts emerged as the family refuted the CTD’s claims, asserting that Balaach was not involved in any unlawful activities and was picked up on October 29, leading to his alleged killing in a “fake encounter.”

    The ongoing protest, now in its eitht day, has garnered attention and renewed discussions on extrajudicial detentions and deaths, shedding light on concerns of police impunity in Balochistan province.

    Baloch’s killing has triggered outrage in cities across the Makran division, with a complete shutter-down strike observed in Turbat and other towns on Wednesday while roads leading from the area to Pakistan’s main business hub, Karachi, were blocked by protesters.

    Following a demand by Baloch’s family, a local court in Turbat had ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), or police complaint, against the CTD team involved in the operation in which the 24-year-old was allegedly killed.

    “Now we are protesting because despite court orders, why are the authorities not registering an FIR against the people who killed my brother,” Balach’s elder sister Najma Baloch told Arab News.

    On the government’s inquiry tribunal, she said: “Neither do I know anything about the inquiry committee nor has anyone from the committee contacted us.”

    “Now hundreds of people have joined the protest and are demanding registration of FIR against the CTD team,” she added, saying her family’s “clear demand” was that Baloch’s murderers be punished.

  • US embassy issues warning to American staff based in Pakistan of a possible attack

    The embassy of the United States of America (USA) has warned its Islamabad-based staff of a possible attack on the Marriott Hotel and “prohibited” them from visiting the hotel during the Christmas holidays.

    On Sunday, the embassy issued a security alert stating: “The US government is aware of information that unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays. Effective immediately, the embassy in Islamabad is prohibiting all American staff from visiting the hotel.”

    The US also urged its staff to refrain from non-essential travel in Islamabad during the holiday season.

    Meanwhile, the Islamabad police raised security levels to high alert in the capital. The police said that checking was increased at all entry and exit points, requesting residents to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

    The capital administration has also put a ban on all types of gatherings for two weeks and declared a high alert in the city for 48 hours.

    The American embassy directive followed a suicide bombing in I-8, a residential area of Islamabad on Friday, which killed a police officer and wounded 10 people.

    Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.

    Seven separate blasts ripped through Balochistan on December 25 killing six soldiers and injuring dozens of others.

    Last week, TTP militants seized control of the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and held hostages inside the compound for almost two days.

  • Bannu hostage situation: Forces kill the terrorists

    Security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have managed to free the hostages being held by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inside the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed that “all the terrorists” have been killed.

    During the operation, an exchange of fire left several security men injured.

    The defence minister said that a unit of the army’s Special Service Group (SSG) carried out the operation, in which 10-15 of its commandos were injured while two were martyred.

    Earlier in the day, an operation had been launched to free the hostages held by the militants.

    Hospitals in the vicinity have been put on high alert and mobile services have also been blocked in the area.

    What happened in Bannu?

    On Sunday, militants detained at a facility run by KP police’s CTD in on Sunday took over the department, held interrogators hostage and demanded safe evacuation to Afghanistan.

    After taking over, the militants shot at security personnel inside the facility, injuring a policeman and a soldier. The outlawed TTP claimed responsibility for the incident.

    According to news reports, the militants managed to break out of lockup and held security personnel hostage. After the incident, police and security forces rushed to the spot but failed to free the hostages.

    Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Special Assistant to KP Chief Minister, said that talks between Pakistani officials and the leadership of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are underway in Afghanistan, however, there is no breakthrough as yet.

    He also confirmed that a security official was killed in the Bannu compound by the militants and said that the government had engaged the militants to avoid casualties.

    The area where CTD is located has been sealed and residents have been asked to stay indoors. Internet services have been suspended in the city.

    Moreover, roads leading to and from Bannu Cantonment have been blocked.

  • Counter Terrorism agents arrests two alleged members of ISIS from Khanewal, Punjab

    Counter Terrorism agents arrests two alleged members of ISIS from Khanewal, Punjab

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) is claiming that they have arrested two members from ISIS after a raid in Khanewal city, Punjab.

    The spokesperson of the CTD revealed that the suspects were preparing for attacks on the important installations and worship places. The team also recovered banned literature, weapons, and hand grenades.

    Further investigation is still underway.

    A new wave of terrorism is hitting cities across Pakistan from the beginning of the year, 2022 after a ceasefire was unilaterally ended by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Last month, terrorists targeted Lahore with a bomb blast at a famous crowded marketplace, New Anarkali. Three people died including one child and several were injured in the attack.

    Recently attacks occurred in Balochistan on a Wednesday evening resulting in four soldiers embracing martyrdom and killing 15 terrorists. Terrorists tried to enter a security forces’ camp from two locations. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

    Similarly, an incident occurred on January 28, when 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom after terrorists attacked a security forces’ check-post in Balochistan’s Kech district.