KARACHI (MNN); The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced on Monday that a large-scale terrorist attack in Karachi was successfully thwarted following coordinated intelligence-based operations.
Speaking at a press conference alongside CTD Additional Inspector General Zulfiqar Ali Larik, CTD Deputy Inspector General Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said law enforcement agencies, in coordination with the country’s premier intelligence agency, received credible information about an imminent terrorist threat to the city.
Mahesar said the militants were planning attacks on specific locations in Karachi with the aim of destabilising national security. In response, a joint strategy was formulated involving intelligence agencies, the Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau, and the CTDs of Sindh and Balochistan.
He said intelligence personnel were deployed at multiple locations, with a particular focus on Karachi’s western areas. After several days of sustained efforts, authorities traced a terrorist hideout in Raees Goth, where a large quantity of explosives had been stockpiled.
Following confirmation of the intelligence, Sindh CTD and the premier intelligence agency carried out a joint raid, during which one terrorist was arrested while three to four others managed to flee. A search operation has been launched to apprehend the escapees.
Mahesar said a Mazda truck loaded with explosive material was recovered during the operation. Authorities seized 30 drums of explosives, five explosive-filled cylinders, around 2,000 kilograms of explosive material, and detonators.
Based on information obtained from the arrested suspect, raids were conducted at six additional locations, resulting in the arrest of two more terrorists who were also found in possession of explosives. In total, three militants have been taken into custody.
During initial interrogation, the suspects disclosed their links with the Bashir Zeb network of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade. Mahesar said further investigation was underway and that facilitators and handlers of the network had been identified.
He added that the planning of the attack was carried out from outside the country and that multiple teams were actively working to arrest those involved. The seized explosives were described as a mixture of commercial-grade material and smuggled components brought through the mountainous areas of Balochistan.
Calling the operation a major success, Mahesar said the explosives were fully prepared for use and that the timely action by security agencies had prevented a potentially devastating attack in Karachi. Further details, he said, would be shared at a later stage.
