LAHORE: Pakistani counterterrorism police said they killed three militants in a gunbattle early Sunday during a raid on their hideout near the eastern city of Lahore.
The raid took place after police received information that the alleged militants belonged to the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, according to a brief statement issued by Punjab province’s Counter Terrorism Department. The banned group is also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
The three men were hiding in a rented house in the city of Ferozwala, a Lahore suburb.
Lahore is the capital of eastern Punjab province, which has seen several militant attacks in recent years, including one in June near the home of a militant leader that left three people including a police officer dead.
The CTD statement said the militants killed Sunday were planning attacks on security forces and Shiite mourning processions.
It said there was an exchange of gunfire during the raid in which three militants were killed and officers seized weapons from the hideout including an explosives-filled vest, two assault rifles, three hand grenades and two pistols. The militants were identified as Afghan nationals.
Pakistani counterterrorism police kill 3 militants in raid
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Pakistani counterterrorism police kill 3 militants in raid
- The three men were hiding in a rented house in the city of Ferozwala, a Lahore suburb
- Counter Terrorism Department statement said militants killed Sunday were planning attacks on security forces and Shiite mourning processions
Pakistan says Sri Lanka to ease visa restrictions after Colombo talks
- Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo
- Naqvi informs Sri Lankan president about visa-related difficulties being faced by Pakistani nationals
KARACHI: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has assured Islamabad that the island nation will ease visa restrictions for Pakistani citizens, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), met Dissanayake during a visit to the country on Tuesday. The Pakistani minister arrived in Sri Lanka last week to watch the T20 World Cup cricket clash between India and Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.
Naqvi informed the Sri Lankan president about visa-related difficulties being faced by Pakistani nationals during the meeting, the interior ministry said in a statement.
“The Sri Lankan president took immediate notice and directed that Pakistan be removed from all such lists without delay,” it said.
Both sides held detailed discussions on counterterrorism, counternarcotics and joint training between their security forces, the statement added.
Naqvi thanked Dissanayake for the arrangements the government had taken to accommodate Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan president reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen ties with Pakistan further.
Dissanayake also conveyed a message of thanks for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for allowing the national men’s cricket team to play its cricket match against India.
Pakistan’s government earlier this month announced it would not allow the cricket team to play against India to express solidarity with Bangladesh. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last month replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the former said it would not play its matches in India owing to security concerns. The move drew sharp protests from the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Pakistan withdrew its decision and cleared the national team to play against India following negotiations with the ICC. Dissanayake had also spoken to Sharif and requested Pakistan to call off its boycott against India.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka share long-standing ties with cooperation across various sectors. In December last year, Pakistan provided assistance to Sri Lanka in the form of relief aid and rescue workers following disastrous floods across the tropical island nation.
