ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province has put security on “high alert” and ordered intelligence-based search-and-sweep operations across the region, a police spokesperson said on Sunday, amid surge in militant attacks in the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the country’s northwest.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in its KP and Balochistan provinces that border Afghanistan, including a twin suicide bombing that killed 18 people in KP’s Bannu district on March 4.
The attacks have prompted provincial authorities in Punjab to carry out intelligence-based operations and mock exercises to thwart any untoward incident in the eastern Pakistani province.
“During the last 24 hours, 436 search and sweep operations were conducted, along with eight mock exercises across Punjab,” Punjab police spokesperson Mubasher Hussain told Arab News, adding that 38 proclaimed offenders and 123 other suspects were arrested during these operations.
According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), Pakistan is now the world’s second-most affected country by militant violence, with deaths rising 45 percent to 1,081 in 2024.
The 12th annual GTI report, published by Australian-based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, ranked 163 countries in 2024, covering 99.7 percent of the world’s population and analyzing the impact of militant activities worldwide. Pakistan is second only to West African country Burkina Faso on the list.
Officials in Islamabad accuse Afghanistan of harboring anti-Pakistan groups that launch cross-border attacks in Pakistan’s western regions. Kabul denies the allegation and insists Pakistan’s security is an internal matter of Islamabad.
The Punjab police spokesperson said the search-and-sweep operations are part of measures to combat militants and criminal elements.
“Authorities have recovered 2 Kalashnikovs, 12 rifles, 20 handguns, and hundreds of bullets from the arrested suspects,” he added.
Pakistan’s Punjab puts security on ‘high alert’ amid surge in militant attacks in northwest
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Pakistan’s Punjab puts security on ‘high alert’ amid surge in militant attacks in northwest
- Pakistan is the world’s second-most affected country by militancy, according to Global Terrorism Index 2025
- Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militant groups attacking its western regions, Kabul denies this
Pakistan’s deputy PM discusses ways to boost economic, trade ties with Iran
- Both countries agreed in August to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028
- Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize relations after strained security ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar presided over a meeting to discuss economic and trade cooperation with Iran, the foreign office said on Friday, as the neighboring countries seek to expand ties.
The development took place during an inter-ministerial meeting on Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations chaired by Dar in Islamabad. Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize ties following a period of strained security relations.
Both countries have been working to enhance bilateral trade, setting up border markets and exploring barter trade to circumvent banking and currency restrictions. Sanctions and foreign exchange shortages remain key hurdles for Iran, making these alternative systems central to its trade strategy with Pakistan.
“The meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation across a range of sectors and discussed ways to further enhance economic and trade ties,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“The DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening engagement with Iran in key priority areas.”
In December, the foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan vowed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and connectivity while working for regional peace.
Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian also visited Pakistan in August, during which both countries signed agreements to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028.
