On Thursday, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab arrested Aminul Haq, a senior Al-Qaeda leader and close aide to Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.
According to the CTD Punjab, Haq was taken into custody during an intelligence-based operation in the Sarai Alamgirtown area of Gujrat district. The department has filed a legal case against him, accusing him of plotting attacks on key installations within the province.
A close aide of Bin Laden
The CTD’s statement described Haq as a “close associate of Osama bin Laden since 1996” who was involved in numerous terrorist activities. Haq’s name was also listed on the United Nations’ list of global terrorists.
“This arrest represents a major breakthrough in the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in Pakistan and globally,” the CTD said. They further revealed that Haq was planning a “large-scale terrorism project” in the country.
The arrest comes amid an increase in terrorist activities in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. This surge followed the end of a ceasefire between the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistan government in November 2022.
Here is what you need to know
A recent UN report highlighted that the TTP has received “significant backing” from Al-Qaeda and other militant groups, alongside support from the Afghan Taliban. The Centre for Research and Security Studies reported a record six-year high in violence-related fatalities in 2023, with KP and Balochistan accounting for the majority of the violence.
In response to the rising threat, the Pakistan government has launched Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, a renewed national counter-terrorism campaign aimed at eradicating extremism and terrorism from the country. Although Pakistan has faced terror attacks in its own soil, it keeps using terrorists as a weapon to bleed India.
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