Pakistan home to 12 terror outfits: US Congress report

New Delhi, September 28

At least 12 groups designated as “foreign terrorist organisations” by the US are based in Pakistan. They include five that are India-centric, according to the latest Congressional report on terrorism.

Uri search operations end, Pakistan ultra surrenders

New Delhi: Ending almost 10 days of intensive search operations along the Line of Control in the Uri sector of J&K, the Army on Tuesday said a Pakistani terrorist has surrendered and one terrorist has been shot dead. The surrendered terrorist, Ali Babar Patra, was a resident Punjab (Pakistan). 

The report, ‘Terrorist and Other Militant Groups in Pakistan’, released by the research wing of the US Congress, said the Pakistan-based groups could be broadly categorised into five types – globally oriented, Afghanistan-oriented, India and Kashmir-oriented, domestically oriented and sectarian (anti-Shia).

The prominent India-centric groups include Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harakat-ul Jihad Islami and Hizb-ul Mujahideen. Though the report has no political or executive backing, the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2019, has said Pakistan “continued to serve as a safe haven for certain regionally focused terrorist groups and has allowed groups targeting Afghanistan as well as groups targeting India to operate from its territory”. Pakistan’s neighbours, including Afghanistan and India, and the US have long accused Islamabad of providing safe haven and support to militants. The State Department also noted “modest steps” taken by Pakistan to counter terror financing and to “restrain” some India-focused militant groups following an early 2019 terrorist attack in J&K. — TNS