Category: National

Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has claimed to have foiled major terror plans with the arrest of 49 suspected terrorists during a month-long province-wide crackdown. 

The operation also included the arrest of a “dangerous operative” allegedly linked to India’s intelligence agency RAW.

CTD officials identified the suspect as Mujtaba, who was arrested during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the provincial capital.

A large quantity of explosives and maps of important buildings were also recovered, indicating plans to target sensitive installations in multiple cities.

In a statement, a CTD spokesperson said the arrests were made after 425 IBOs across Punjab to pre-empt potential terrorist activity. During these operations, 427 suspects were also questioned.

Thr 49 arrests were made across multiple districts, including Lahore, Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Jhelum, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Pakpattan, Khushab, Okara, Attock, Sheikhupura, and Vehari.

As per the details of recovered arms, CTD  seized 16,480 grams of explosives, two hand grenades, 36 detonators, 58 feet of safety fuse wire, six improvised explosive devices (IEDs), pamphlets and magazines of banned organisations, SIM cards, mobile phones and cash.

The spokesperson said that 44 cases had been registered against the arrested individuals, with further investigation ongoing to determine their networks and facilitators.

Separately, CTD, with support from local police and other security agencies, conducted 6,131 combing operations across the province. During these operations, 243,546 individuals were checked, 599 suspects arrested, 568 FIRs registered and 477 recoveries made.

Reaffirming its commitment to security, the CTD spokesperson said the department would continue action against terrorists and anti-state elements and urged citizens to report suspicious activity to the CTD Punjab helpline at 0800-11111.

A detailed 27-point safety plan for Basant has been presented by Punjab Police to the Lahore High Court. 

Although kite flying remains banned across Punjab, the provincial government has allowed limited Basant festivities to be celebrated in Lahore on February 6, 7 and 8, marking the return of the traditional festival after decades. 

The plan states that 5,000 free rickshaws will be deployed across the city, while any motorcycles without safety antennas will not be allowed to enter red zones. All motorcycle riders including passengers, must wear helmets. 

Chemical and glass string will remain strictly banned with only cotton thread string permitted to fly kites. Quick emergency response teams will be deployed throughout the city to handle emergencies. 

All Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, RPOs and DPOs have been tasked with ensuring that preparation and usage of kites and strings is only carried out in permitted areas.

Military-to-military relations between Pakistan and the United States (US) appear to be entering a new phase of cooperation, marked by joint training exercises, major defence sales and unusually warm rhetoric from President Donald Trump towards Islamabad’s military leadership.

According to a statement issued by the US Central Command (Centcom), American and Pakistani troops this week concluded joint training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center in Pabbi. The exercise, dubbed Inspired Gambit, focused on combined infantry skills, tactics and counterterrorism operations. Centcom said such engagements “strengthen our long-standing defense ties.”

This week, U.S. and Pakistan Army Soldiers completed training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center during Exercise Inspired Gambit, which focused on combined infantry skills and tactics, and counterterrorism operations. Training exercises like this between the U.S. and… pic.twitter.com/z8eZNvPKLS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2026

The training comes against the backdrop of broader re-engagement between the two defence establishments.

In December, Washington approved a $686 million package to upgrade Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft. The deal followed heightened regional tensions after Pakistan and India fought a brief but intense five-day conflict in May 2025. Pakistan is believed to operate between 70 and 80 F-16s, ranging from upgraded Block-15 aircraft to newer Block-52+ models. US officials have long described the programme as a cornerstone of bilateral military cooperation.

Political signaling from Washington has also drawn attention. President Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, referring to him publicly as his “favourite field marshal”.

In a year-end briefing on December 31, Trump claimed Pakistani leaders credited him with preventing a wider catastrophe during the May conflict, saying he “saved 10 million lives, maybe more”.

Trump’s remarks at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in October 2025 again highlighted Field Marshal Munir, alongside Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif. Since returning to the White House in January for a second term, Trump has publicly praised Pakistan’s army chief at least ten times. In June 2025, he also hosted Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting – the first time a sitting US president formally received Pakistan’s military leader.

Analysts suggest Washington’s renewed focus on the Middle East, particularly Gaza and Iran, combined with Pakistan’s air force performance during the May conflict, has encouraged closer defence ties. Islamabad has also signaled willingness to join a US-led stabilisation force for Gaza, a controversial proposal advanced by Trump.

Recent military exercises, arms sales, and high-level engagement suggest defence ties between Washington and Islamabad are entering a new, more pragmatic phase, with both sides signaling readiness to deepen cooperation.

At least 24 people were killed and over 50 others injured in two separate road accidents as a truck plunged into a dry canal in Punjab’s Sargodha district and a passenger coach overturned near Ormara in Balochistan.

According to reports, 14 people died and nine others sustained injuries in Sargodha where a truck carrying cargo and passengers fell off the Galapur Bangla Bridge, into the dry canal, due to fog.

The crash occurred after thick fog reduced visibility in Kot Momin’s city area, causing the driver to lose control.

The truck was carrying a total of 23 people, of which seven crash victims were crushed under the vehicle and died on the spot, rescue officials said.

Another seven victims died during treatment at a nearby hospital, they added.

The deceased included six children and five women, all of whom were traveling to attend a funeral.

In a separate incident, at least 10 people died and 45 others sustained injuries when a passenger coach carrying 50 passengers overturned near Ormara in Balochistan.

According to reports, the coach was traveling from Karachi to Gwadar when it lost control due to high speed and turned turtle.

Medical teams airlifted the injured to Karachi via Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft for treatment.

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has praised Pakistan-Russia relations as “genuinely mutually beneficial”. 

Taking to its official account on X, the Russian embassy in Pakistan quoted Putin: “We maintain close cooperation with Pakistan, a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the largest regional organisation in terms of economic, technological, and human potential. Russia-Pakistan relations are genuinely mutually beneficial.”

The Russian president reportedly said the words when the Pakistani ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, presented his credentials to him on Thursday at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

Pakistani and Russian diplomatic relations are on the rise since 2023 when Pakistan added Russian oil to its energy portfolio. 

In December 2025, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told the press that the two countries were holding talks about a new oil sector agreement.