The Punjab province police in Pakistan arrested five women terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), authorities reportedly said on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab police nabbed the women from Lahore and Sheikhupura. This is the first time the CTD arrested five women terrorists together. The police seized weapons, cash, banned literature and cellphones from them, a statement read, according to a PTI report.


The arrested militants have been identified as Aiman, Javeria, Sadia, Faiza, and Fakhra. "The women are active members of Daesh (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and involved in terror activities in the country," the statement said.


Terrorism cases have been registered against these women and they have been transported to an undisclosed location for further investigation. 


As per a PTI report, in August, the CTD arrested over 20 terrorists who had plans to target important installations and religious places across Pakistan. Most of these militants belonged to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS. In this year alone hundreds of alleged terrorists of TTP and ISIS have been nabbed by the police after the truce between the Pakistan government and TTP ended in November 2022. This has also resulted in a rise in attacks on security forces.


A ceasefire deal was signed in June 2022 as part of a deal brokered by the Afghan Taliban was called off in November by the group fighting to establish the rule of Sharia across the country. Pakistan’s patience with the Afghan Taliban regime was wearing thin as the TTP continued to pose a threat from across the border.


In a separate incident, CTD killed eight people, whom it termed “terrorists”, in separate operations in Balochistan during the past 24 hours. This was after security forces on Friday raided a house in Basima, a town and tehsil headquarters in the Washuk district after receiving the information.


The CTD seized a large quantity of weapons and ammunition as they searched the encounter site. The identities of the deceased are being ascertained.