Pakistan Taliban Issues New ‘Terror Hit-List’ Featuring Names of Maryam Nawaz, Rana Sanaullah

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and it’s faction Jamaat-ul-Ahraar (JuA) are planning to launch attacks on leaders of the armed forces, intelligence agencies and politicians. According to people familiar with the developments, top politicians like Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief organiser Maryam Nawaz are in their crosshairs as their names have been put on a hitlist.

The TTP also plans to carry out attacks on vehicles and checkposts of law enforcement agencies. People familiar with the developments said that the terror group entered the Punjab province under the supervision of JuA leader Rafiullah.

The people mentioned above also said that TTP top commander Sarbakaf Mohmand heaped praise on those who participated in the countrywide riots on May 9 following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

He announced his support for the PTI cadres involved in hooliganism and vandalism, without directly taking the name of the party.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq narrowly escaped a suicide attack on his convoy as he was travelling to a rally in Balochistan’s Zhob earlier this week, GeoNews said in a separate report.

Pakistan continues to reel under a fresh wave of terrorism adding to Pakistan’s woes as it faces economic and political uncertainty. The TTP carried out more than two dozen attacks on army and police personnel since the beginning of 2023.

Pakistan witnessed the Peshawar mosque bombing, Karachi police station attack and the Kandahari Bazar Bombing where civilians along with policemen and law enforcement officials were killed.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Centre for Research and Security Studies said that more than 850 people were killed or injured in militant attacks and counterterrorism operations in the first quarter of 2023. This is half the total number of killed or wounded people in 2022, the report pointed out.

“The fatalities of security and government officials almost doubled, from 88 in the first quarter of last year to 167 in the first quarter this year. The fatalities of security and government officials almost doubled, from 88 in the first quarter of last year to 167 in the first quarter this year,” the report said.