Pakistan arrests nearly two dozen members of outlawed Pakistani Taliban linked to multiple attacks 

1 / 2
Policemen patrol along a street in Karachi on November 2, 2023. (AFP/File)
2 / 2
An area inside the Karachi Police Office compound is seen cordoned off by a barricade tape a day after an attack by Pakistan's Taliban in Karachi on February 18, 2023. (AFP/File)
Short Url
Updated 01 January 2024
Follow

Pakistan arrests nearly two dozen members of outlawed Pakistani Taliban linked to multiple attacks 

  • Acting on intelligence information, the arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks 
  • Punjab Counterterrorism Department says the chief of outlawed Baloch Nationalist Army has also been arrested 

MULTAN: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police said Monday they arrested nearly two dozen members of the outlawed militant group, the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind several deadly attacks across the country. 

Acting on intelligence information, the arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks, the provincial Counterterrorism Department said in a statement. 

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, is a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. 

The statement also said that Mohammad Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baloch Nationalist Army which mostly operates in southwestern Baluchistan province, was arrested. 

Balochistan has been a scene of low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. They initially wanted a bigger share of the provincial resources, but later initiated an insurgency for independence. TTP and other domestic militant groups also operate in the province.


Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

Updated 29 January 2026
Follow

Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

  • Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
  • Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025

KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline. 

Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday. 

“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X. 

Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026. 

He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.

He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt. 

The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025. 

“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote. 

Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.