Pakistani police have arrested nine terrorists, four of them belonging to the dreaded Islamic State (ISIS) terror group, while carrying out raids in different parts of the Punjab province, police said on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police conducted raids and arrested nine terrorists. Of the arrested terrorists, four belong to ISIS and as many are affiliated with different factions of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while one is a member of the Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi (LeJ) outfit, it said in a statement.
They have been shifted to undisclosed locations for further investigation, the statement said, adding that a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the arrested terrorists.
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Cases have been registered against them under Anti-terrorism Act, it said. Last week, the CTD arrested 11 terrorists most of them belonging to TTP from Punjab province.
Currently, the military establishment is holding "peace talks" with the TTP leadership. The military has reassured the political leadership at the Prime Minister's House that no extra-constitutional concessions would be given to the banned TTP in the ongoing dialogue and any deal made with the terrorist group would be subject to parliamentary approval.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies database, the TTP this year carried out nearly 46 attacks, mostly against security forces, in which 79 people were killed.
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The negotiations process was secretly revived in April which led to the TTP announcing a ceasefire on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr. As matters progressed, the ceasefire kept being extended and currently a three-month cessation of hostilities is being observed.
Pakistani authorities are asking for the dissolution of the terrorist organisation, laying of arms, and respect for the Constitution, whereas the TTP is seeking withdrawal of security forces from the erstwhile tribal areas, annulment of the 2018 merger of tribal agencies with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the release of its fighters, and compensation for the damage it suffered.
