KARACHI: In a major intelligence-based joint operation, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and sensitive agencies successfully foiled a series of high-profile terror plots in Karachi by arresting five dangerous militants, including key commanders from the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Fitna-al-Khawarij. The suspects were apprehended during coordinated raids conducted simultaneously at two separate locations in the city. Law enforcement officials also recovered five 30-bore pistols, loaded magazines, 21 rounds of ammunition, and two mobile phones used for operational coordination from their possession.
During the first raid, authorities captured three BLA operatives identified as Imran Khan (alias Shaukat), Zaheer Ahmed, and Muhammad Riaz. Investigations revealed that Zaheer Ahmed was heavily involved in a 2024 IED blast that targeted Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in Balochistan, and he was also running an active extortion racket in the region. This cell had recently completed a detailed reconnaissance of sensitive locations across Karachi on the orders of their commander, Abdul Rehman, and was actively waiting for reinforcements to launch large-scale attacks.
In the second operation, security forces apprehended two Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorists named Hujatullah and Habibullah. Both operatives had received rigorous combat training at a terror camp in Afghanistan during 2024. Under the direct supervision of their commander, Hidayatullah, they had recently moved to Karachi to map out law enforcement agencies’ offices and installations. They had already transmitted this surveillance data back to their leadership and were awaiting final execution orders from Afghanistan when the CTD intervened and disrupted the plot.
The CTD has officially registered separate cases against the arrested individuals at the CTD police station, and a high-level investigation is currently underway to explore their connections to various national threat alerts. In light of these threats, the CTD has issued an urgent appeal to the public, requesting citizens to remain highly vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activities in their neighborhoods by contacting the CTD Helpline at 1102 (Extension 3).
