Secret Crackdown on Lal Masjid | Ghazi Force Terrorists Arrested

ISLAMABAD: Despite denial of reports received, the security forces are found involved in a secret crackdown on ‘Lal Masjid elements’ making thousands of arrest.

There is reason to believe that these elements are in constant contact with the self-styled Islamic State or ‘Daesh’ and other banned outfits in Pakistan.

Senior officials of counter-terrorism forces have conducted a varied secret operation where they arrested 89 ‘Lal Masjid elements’ in the last two months in the Punjab.

“These elements are serious threat to state’s security and are providing breathing ground for Daesh in Punjab,” a senior official of Ministry of Interior told media, seeking anonymity due to sensitivity of the matter.

‘Lal Masjid elements’ have developed links with militant groups and reorganised the Ghazi Force militant group, intelligence suggests in a report to the Interior Ministry.

As part of its new strategy how to counter proscribed organisations, the representatives of counter-terrorism forces claimed that they had killed more than 35 suspected militants in various encounters conducted in last two months by carrying out intelligence based operations in various parts of the Punjab. Majority of them were either affiliated with Lal Masjid or Ghazi Force, interior ministry officials who are familiar with the development told media.

Overall 226 hardcore terrorists are killed with 1,200 arrested since beginning of this year in operations conducted by the special counter-terrorism forces in Punjab, they further revealed.

They also carried out secret surveillance of 278 members of Ghazi Force, a banned organisation formed soon after Lal Masjid operation in 2007.

“We have killed six terrorists in Okara. It was an intelligence based operation,” revealed a CTD Punjab official. Two suspects — Yasib Rehman and Hafiz Saeedur Rehman, who were associated with Lal Masjid, were also killed in this encounter in Okara, he revealed.

An official of a premier civilian intelligent agency, who is not allowed to speak to media, said, “We have asked the interior ministry to clean the extreme elements associated either with Ghazi Force or Lal Masjid administration, if it does not do so they can subsequently create a serious trouble for the state.”

The counter terrorism forces claimed that they had arrested over 1,100 hardcore militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Jhanvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Sipah-e-Muhammad and its splinter groups.