Punjab CTD foils terror plot, lassoes 49 militants in month-long sweep

• Spokesperson says 425 IBOs across province lead to arrest of militants, with weapons, explosives, and prohibited materials seized from suspects
• CTD conducted 6,131 combing operations; 599 suspects detained and 44 cases registered

LAHORE: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested 49 militants from various areas across the province within a month and successfully foiled a major terror plot, a CTD statement said on Saturday.

According to the statement, the arrests were made during 425 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted throughout Punjab, during which weapons, explosives, and other prohibited materials were also seized.

“Forty-four cases have been registered against the arrested terrorists, and further investigations are ongoing,” the CTD spokesperson added.

The country has been facing a surge in militant activity, particularly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab’s northwestern neighbor. Rising attacks in KP have prompted Punjab authorities to enhance security and undertake pre-emptive measures to prevent militants from infiltrating the country’s most populous province.

The development comes amid a sharp increase in militancy-related fatalities in Pakistan in 2025. Data released last month by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) show that combat-related deaths rose 73 percent to 3,387 last year. This figure includes 2,115 militants, 664 security personnel, 580 civilians, and 28 members of pro-government peace committees.

In addition to the recent arrests, the CTD conducted 6,131 combing operations in the province, detaining a total of 599 suspects. Approximately 570 police reports were registered against these individuals, resulting in 477 recoveries.

Earlier, in November, the Punjab government launched the country’s first mobile counter-terrorism unit to monitor complex security operations in real time. In September, Punjab authorities had announced the arrest of 90 suspected militants during a three-month counter-terrorism sweep.

Pakistan has struggled to contain rising militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad collapsed in November 2022. The country also faces a long-standing insurgency by Baloch separatists in its southwestern Balochistan province.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups to operate from its territory and alleged Indian backing for attacks on Pakistani soil. Both Kabul and New Delhi deny these claims.