Tag: TTP

  • Pakistan rejects talks with TTP, says Foreign Office

    Pakistan rejects talks with TTP, says Foreign Office

    Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that Pakistan has rejected any suggestion to negotiate with the terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    In the FO’s weekly media briefing, Baloch said, “As i said in the past, Pakistan has no plans to engage in any talks with TTP. We believe that such offers are an affront to thousands of victims of TTP, who have been killed in Pakistan.”

    She added, “Pakistan advises Afghan authorities to take action against TTP and other terror groups that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security and who have been involved in the killing of Pakistani nationals in Pakistani territory.”

    She pointed out that Islamabad has strong evidence of Afghanistan soil being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan and expected that the Afghan government will take action against terror groups.

    Regarding India’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Pakistan, Baloch remarked, “I can confirm that invitations have been extended to all Heads of Government of SCO member countries, including the prime minister of India.”

  • TTP chief’s intercepted call reveals sinister plan to attack govt schools, hospitals

    TTP chief’s intercepted call reveals sinister plan to attack govt schools, hospitals

    A call made by Noor Wali Mehsud, the head of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has revealed a sinister plot by the terrorist organisation to attack government schools and hospitals in Pakistan.

    Talking to his henchmen Ahmad Hussain Mehsud alias Ghat Haji, and Saqib Gandapur, Noor says that one method of creating instability in Pakistan is to target government schools or hospitals with bombings without claiming responsibility for them.

    The second option, he says, involves destroying the homes of police officers and soldiers.

    He then asks the two men to keep the conversation confidential that no one should be able to trace the attacks back to TTP.

  • TTP launches Azm-e-Shariat as retaliation to Pakistan’s Azm-e-Istehkam

    TTP launches Azm-e-Shariat as retaliation to Pakistan’s Azm-e-Istehkam

    Following the government’s announcement of launching the new security operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a counter-terrorism campaign against the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), the terrorist organisation has also announced its own retaliatory operation Azm-e-Shariat, the Khorasan Diary reported.

    Earlier this week, journalist Iftikhar Firdous raised alarms over the “clarity of policy” that the TTP holds against a confused and ambiguous state policy while appearing in Geo News programme Jirga with Saleem Safi.

    “The war against the Taliban has transformed; it has become ideological. TTP has started talking to political parties as they are expanding their political legitimacy by making a political office in Pakistan. Sarbakaf Mohmand, an affiliate of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), was appointed as the political commission head,” cautioned the journalist.

    The Current contacted Iftikhar, the founding editor of the digital news organisation Khorasan Diary, to ask about the consequences of TTP having a clear ideology and garnering legitimacy.

    “Legitimising them even as a stakeholder has ramifications for the state. What happened during the peace talks gave them a voice, and since then, they have expanded that voice to overlap with the political narratives of the country,” said Firdous.

    He pointed out that since their narrative post-2021 is primarily anti-military and blames political governments of corruption and elitism,
    “any voice that chimes the same cord is used by them to promote their narrative. Their propaganda has been directly relevant to the political situation of current Pakistan.”

    About Azm-e-Istehkam, he said, “It has been clarified now that Azm e Istihkam is not the name of kinetics but rather the real-time implementation of the 14 points of the revised national action plan.”

  • LEAs stop TTP from establishing footprint in Balochistan

    LEAs stop TTP from establishing footprint in Balochistan

    Law enforcement agencies have foiled a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attempt to establish a foothold in Balochistan by arresting a most wanted commander and several other members of the banned outfit in different areas of the province.

    The security situation in Pakistan has been deteriorating since the past few months, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

    “With the arrest of the TTP commander and other terrorists, their efforts to establish centres in the province have been foiled,” stated a spokesman for the Counter Terrorism Department on Thursday.

    The CTD, along with other law enforcement agencies, conducted operations and arrested several militants, including the wanted TTP commander.

    He also said, “The arrested commander was involved in various terrorist activities in different areas of the country.”

  • Pakistan calls on Afghanistan to hand over TTP terrorists involved in attack on Chinese

    Pakistan calls on Afghanistan to hand over TTP terrorists involved in attack on Chinese

    Pakistan on Sunday demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan hand over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists involved in the Besham attack on Chinese nationals.

    “Whether Afghanistan try the terrorists [in the court of law] or not, it should hand over the militants to Pakistan,” said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a press conference.

    Pakistan has recently been urging Afghan authorities to keep a check on TTP infiltration from its side of the borders and relations with the neighbor have also soured in the past two years.

    At least six people including five Chinese nationals were killed after a suicide bomber rammed into the bus transporting the staff working on the Dasu hydropower project in Bisham, Shangla district, in March this year.

    Pakistani authorities said that the TTP operated the Besham terror attack from inside Afghanistan.

    Responding to a question, Naqvi said that Pakistan’s government had contacted the interim authorities in Kabul but “good results are not coming from there.”

  • Arrested target killer of police among four killed in encounter

    Arrested target killer of police among four killed in encounter

    A suspected serial-killer of the police and alleged member of the banned militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Faizan Butt, who was reportedly involved in three attacks on police officials in Lahore within a week, was killed along with three other terrorists during an encounter in Karol Ghatti on Sunday night.

    The counter-terrorism department’s spokesperson told the media that the team took the arrested terrorists to Karol Jungle for seizure of weapons. Meanwhile, about six terrorists opened fire on the police, as a result, four of the terrorists were shot dead by the firing of their accomplices while three managed to escape.

    The police seized two Kalashnikovs and a pistol from the spot, he said.

    Faizan had shot dead a sub-inspector and a constable after following them when they were unarmed on their way back home. He had also shot and injured another police constable. Investigations revealed that he recorded the attacks by using a pen camera, ensuring that the victim was dead before leaving. He then sent the recordings to his handlers as proof.

    He was arrested from a housing society on May 3.

    Initial investigations suggested that the suspect was frustrated because the police had registered a case against him.

    The CTD had received information that he had contacted some people in his area to help him join a militant organisation.

    Later, Faizan got arrested for carrying explosives and he was sent to prison. There he met a jailed leader of a banned sectarian outfit who helped him in getting released on bail.

    He went to Afghanistan where he had meetings with TTP leaders who assigned him the task of killing six policemen to prove his loyalty.

    The suspect revealed in police custody that the banned group had arranged a 30-bore and a 9mm pistol for the killings.

    Faizan’s father was a manager in a factory and lived in Shadbagh. His mother had separated from him and lived in the private housing society.

  • 70 people lost lives in militant attacks in April

    70 people lost lives in militant attacks in April

    Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think-tank, published its monthly security assessment report in which it was revealed that militant attacks claimed 70 lives in April 2024.

    According to the monthly report, Pakistan experienced at least 77 militant attacks during the month of April which resulted in 70 deaths, including 35 civilians and 31 members of security forces.

    Total number of injured people was 67.

    As compared to the previous month, there has been a stark increase in attacks. In March, Pakistan experienced 56 militant attacks.

    This indicates a 38 per cent increase in the number of militant attacks, although there was a nine per cent decline in deaths, with no change in the number of injuries.

  • Hapless KP government paid Rs 5 crore to TTP for freeing abducted judge

    Hapless KP government paid Rs 5 crore to TTP for freeing abducted judge

    Sessions Judge Shakirullah Marwat, who was abducted by unidentified kidnappers on Dera Ismail Khan’s Tank Road, returned home safely on Monday. However, senior journalist Azaz Syed has revealed that the “Judge was released after the KP government paid five crores to terrorists as extortion.”

    According to Syed, “The Marwat clan played a positive role in getting the hostage back, especially, Sher Afzal Marwat.”

    He said the Marwat clan reached the “shadow governor of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)” and they initially demanded seven crores but settled on five crores as the extortion payment.

    Azaz Syed asserted that this is the most unfortunate circumstance that the provincial government was held hostage by the banned TTP and the group has appointed their representatives or shadow governors in every district.

    The journalist remarked that this is an extremely alarming situation that the TTP is operating so freely in DI Khan and can abduct a serving judge.

    He said, “They’re extorting the common people there as well.”

  • Two TTP terrorists killed in Punjab while crossing over from KP

    Two TTP terrorists killed in Punjab while crossing over from KP

    The Khorasan Diary has reported that two terrorists were killed in Bhakkar, Punjab while entering the province from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    Their post read, “Two militants have been killed in Bhakkar, Punjab in an exchange of firing with Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab, according to officials the militants were trying to cross over from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: CTD Punjab.”

    Recently, the Chief Minister of KP Ali Amin Gandapur said in a conference about the increasing cases of terrorism that “terrorists can access Punjab too but it is due to the sacrifices of KP police that this is not happening.”

    The Khorasan Diary also reported, “The militants have been identified as the affiliates of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan. They were entering Punjab for an attack. A grand search and sweep operation had been launched to arrest the other militants: CTD Punjab”

  • CM KP Gandapur says negotiations with terrorists ‘is the only solution’

    CM KP Gandapur says negotiations with terrorists ‘is the only solution’

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has stated that ‘negotiations’ is the only way to move forward in dealing with terrorism.

    Addressing a press conference, the CM KP said, “Imran Khan stated that we should not become a part of somebody else’s war and that negotiations are the only solution.”

    Gandapur also added that “whatever we have done before has not yielded any results but rather we have suffered.”

    It should be noted that the Imran Khan-led government, after the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, pursued infamous “peace deals” with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which failed.

    Historically, Pakistan has tried to negotiate at least a half dozen of these ‘peace deals’ with the TTP and every single one has failed.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stated that the former Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa and the ex-spymaster General Faiz Hamid should be held accountable for their policy of allowing the Taliban to return to Pakistan.

    According to Asif, ‘generals painted a rosy picture’ of a new era if the TTP were allowed back in the country.

    The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) annual report revealed that more than 1500 people lost their lives in 2023 due to terror attacks.

    Pakistan has witnessed a stark increase in terror attacks since the Afghan Taliban came into power in the neighbouring country.

    Pakistan continues to blame Afghanistan for their inaction against anti-Pakistan elements and even conducted surgical strikes inside Afghanistan in March 2024 targeting hideouts of commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Social media reactions were mostly mixed regarding the CM KP’s statement.