The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday said it has arrested 12 suspected terrorists allegedly linked to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) during separate intelligence-based operations across major cities of Punjab.
According to a CTD spokesperson, the suspects were taken into custody from Lahore, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, where they were reportedly receiving heavy financial support from RAW to plan terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
Weapons and explosives recovered
The spokesperson confirmed that CTD teams seized weapons, explosives and detonators, in addition to photos and videos of sensitive locations and institutions recovered from the suspects.
The recovered images reportedly included visuals of a madrassa and a local festival, which officials claim were being monitored for possible future attacks.
Suspects linked to “Fitna al-Hindustan”
The CTD described the arrested individuals as members of a RAW-backed group known as “Fitna al-Hindustan.”
The suspects arrested from Lahore include Sukh Deep Singh, Azmat, Faizan, Nabeel, Abrar, Usman and Sarfaraz, while Danish was detained in Faisalabad.
Those arrested in Bahawalpur were identified as Rajab, Hashim, Saqib and Arif.
The spokesperson further alleged that one of the suspects, Sukh Deep Singh, was born Christian and converted to another religion at some stage, and had been in contact with an Indian handler through a Facebook ID operated from India by a person named Adil.
CTD says RAW funding was being used for terror planning
Authorities claim the suspects had been gathering intelligence on strategic locations and planning terrorist activities on RAW’s instructions, adding that cases had been registered and investigations were ongoing.
Earlier arrests linked to Indian espionage
The development follows last month’s arrest of a Pakistani fisherman for working for Indian intelligence agencies, according to Information Minister Atta Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry.
In June 2025, Punjab CTD said it dismantled a sophisticated network being operated by RAW under “Operation Yalghar”, leading to six arrests in Toba Tek Singh.
Audio recordings recovered at the time suggested RAW officers had been directing local handlers to conduct reconnaissance of sensitive sites and even plan an IED attack at a mosque, according to CTD officials.
