On January 1, Pakistan’s counterterrorism police announced the apprehension of 21 members belonging to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, responsible for numerous deadly attacks within the country.
Based on intelligence information, these arrests were carried out in the eastern Punjab province over the preceding two weeks, as stated by the provincial Counterterrorism Department.
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operates independently but maintains an alliance with the Afghan Taliban. The latter group gained control of Afghanistan in 2021 during the final stages of the U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal after two decades of conflict.
The Counterterrorism Department released a list detailing the suspects, the charges against them, and their purported affiliations. However, the document did not provide specifics about the attacks in which the militants were allegedly involved, including casualty figures.
The statement also disclosed the arrest of Mohammad Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army, primarily active in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Baluchistan has witnessed a prolonged low-level insurgency by nationalists, initially advocating for a greater share of provincial resources and later pushing for independence. The province is also a hotspot for the activities of TTP and other domestic militant groups.