Lahore, Aug 9 (IANS) Three Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire with the police in Lahore, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said.
The exchange of fire took place on Sunday when the CTD personnel carried out an intelligence-based coordinated raid in the Ferozewala area of Lahore, Xinhua news agency quoted the DEpartment as saying.
The three dead terrorists were living in a rented house in the city and were identified as Afghan nationals, the CTD said.
They were planning to target sensitive installations, security forces and political and religious personalities, it added.
During the raid, a huge cache of arms and ammunition including suicide jackets, hand grenades, assault rifles, and maps of sensitive buildings were recovered from their residence.
Police registered a case against them and kicked off an investigation.
The law enforcement agencies also launched an operation to arrest the accomplices of the dead terrorists.
Rejecting all opposition to his elevation, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the party's new Punjab unit President along with four Working Presidents.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
