SIALKOT/GUJRANWALA - Various intelligence agencies including the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) continued its search operation in various parts of Sialkot region against terrorists belonging to the banned organisations including Daish.
However, no activist of any militant organisation was arrested from the region, officials said. The officials added that the intelligence agencies including Counter-Terrorism Department raided several parts of Sialkot region in search of more terrorists, militants and extremists. They launched the search after the CTD’s claim to bust a cell of militant Islamic State group (IS) operational in Sialkot for launching their nation-wide subversive activities in Pakistan.
The CTD had claimed to bust the IS cell a few days ago and claimed to arrest eight suspects identified as Jawad Ahmad, Abu Hafs, Amir Sohail, Ijaz Ahmad, Adnan Babar aka Danu Kabarria, Saeed Ahmad, Yasir Ali, Hamza Imtiaz and Waqas Ahmad from different parts of Sialkot region.
It had also claimed to seize weapons, explosives and laptops, as well as a large number of compact discs containing publicity material. According to the police officials, the suspects had taken oath to overthrow democracy and introduce Khilafat in Pakistan through armed struggle.
The senior CTD officials added that the suspects belong to different districts of Punjab, but Sialkot served as the base of their operations. They had already established infrastructure in the Sialkot region to carry out their subversive operations across the country. The preliminary interrogations revealed that three of these suspects had received militant training, as the suspects were trying to extend their network to other parts of Punjab through recruitment. The suspects belonged to Jamaatud Dawa, but later joined the IS, the officials added.
The arrested members of the IS had been communicating with one another through social media and Skype to avoid arrests. The senior CTD officials further revealed that the operation, the first of its kind in the country, enabled the CTD to break the network and infrastructure of the group anywhere in Pakistan. The CTD had already shifted the suspects to an undisclosed place.
Meanwhile, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has sent eight suspects of militant group Islam State (IS) in different cases registered by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA).
According to officials, the CTD produced the suspects in Gujranwala court amid tight security and sought the physical remand of the accused.
The ATC granted the 10-day remand of the accused. It then shifted the suspected terrorists to an undisclosed place for further interrogation. They were arrested from Nowshera Virkan and Daska in different raids while explosive material and pistols were also recovered from them.