CTD Arrests 12 Suspected RAW-Linked Terrorists Across Punjab

LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has detained 12 alleged terrorists said to have links with India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in a series of operations carried out across major cities in Punjab, the department announced on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Punjab CTD said the arrests took place in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur.

According to the spokesperson, authorities recovered weapons, explosives, detonators, and images and videos of sensitive sites from the suspects. These materials reportedly included photographs and location details of a madrassa and a local cultural festival.

Those apprehended in Lahore were identified as Sukh Deep Singh, Azmat, Faizan, Nabeel, Abrar, Usman, and Sarfaraz. The individual arrested in Faisalabad was named Danish, while the suspects captured in Bahawalpur were identified as Rajab, Hashim, Saqib, and Arif.

The CTD labeled the detainees as members of a terrorist outfit known as “Fitna al-Hindustan.”

The spokesperson also stated that the arrests were made with assistance from information obtained through a Facebook account operated from India by an individual named Adil. He added that Singh, one of the suspects, was born into a Christian family and later converted to another religion.

Read more: Over 3 months across Punjab, 89 terrorists arrested:CTD

Further, the CTD claimed that the suspects were receiving substantial financial support from RAW to facilitate terrorist activities within Pakistan. Cases have been filed against the individuals, and investigations are currently in progress.

In a related incident last month, Pakistani law enforcement authorities detained a fisherman accused of spying for Indian intelligence, according to Information Minister Atta Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry.

During a press briefing on November 1 in Islamabad, Tarar said that the fisherman, Ijaz Mallah, had been taken into custody by Indian authorities in September and held at an undisclosed location, where he was coerced into performing certain tasks.

Tarar added that Mallah had been threatened with a prison sentence of up to three years if he refused and was promised financial compensation. He was eventually released and sent back to Pakistan with specific instructions. According to the minister, he had been told to acquire uniforms of the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Rangers, as well as local SIM cards and phone bills, for espionage purposes.