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K J M Varma in Islamabad
Over 1,600 members of five banned militant groups have reportedly been arrested in the intensified police crackdown in Pakistan, where authorities sealed several hundred offices of terrorist outfits, including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
Pakistan government, however, declined to comment on the arrests and specific charges being levelled against them.
A section of media in Islamabad also said the crackdown was underway in a number of towns in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The police on Sunday raided offices of Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Mirpur, Bagh, Batian Bala and Rawalakot and arrested a number of activists belonging to these outfits, reports said, adding that the Lashkar office in Muridke near Lahore was sealed.
The crackdown against the militant outfits was reported from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muridke, Jehlum, Pindad Khan, Tobatek Singh, Gojra, Chiniot, Fatehjang, Kot Addu, Dera Ismail Khan, Attock, Hasan Abdal, Chakwal, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Mangora, Bunir, Malakand, Swat, Daudkhel and a number of other cities.
Offices of outlawed outfits in these cities and towns have been sealed and their literature seized.
In Islamabad, offices of Lashkar, Al Badar, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Al Rasheed Trust were sealed.
According to reports, the law enforcing agencies are raiding various areas to nab Harkat chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil.
Al Badar spokesman Qari Ijaz said the secretary general of the outfit has been arrested.
According to Harkat spokesman, police raided the house of Khalil twice but he was not present there.
As many as 60 activists of Harkat have been detained including the organiser, Saeedur Rehman.
Harkat offices all over Pakistan have been sealed.
According to reports, 600 jihadi and sectarian activists from Punjab, 335 from Sindh, 200 from NWFP and 6 from Baluchistan were arrested on Sunday, reports said.
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