83 high profile terrorists on Pak Govt. watch list

Islamabad, Sep 21 (ANI): Pakistani law enforcement agencies are searching for 83 high profile terrorists wanted for various crimes, ranging from the attack on former president Pervez Musharraf to fanning the separatist movement in Balochistan.

According to a list maintained by the Interior Ministry, 41 of the most wanted terrorists belong to Punjab, 21 to Sindh, 13 to Balochistan and eight to the NWFP.

Of the 83 terrorists, Bramdagh Bugti tops the list with 31 first information reports registered against him, the Daily Times reports.

The available data shows the majority of the terrorists belong to various sectarian and terrorist organisations, including the Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and the Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP).

The majority of the "most wanted" belong to the LJ and the SMP and are wanted in various high profile cases, including assassination attempts targeting Musharraf, former premier Shaukat Aziz and the Karachi Corps commander; the blasts at the Sheraton hotel and foreign embassies; arms smuggling; target killings of rival groups, doctors, police and intelligence officials and personnel; kidnapping for ransom; and attacks on imambargahs and mosques.

The special investigation group of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been tasked with arresting the "most wanted" terrorists.

The group was formed in 2003 to combat terrorism in Pakistan and is mandated to identify, investigate, interdict and eliminate terrorist activities threatening the security and sovereignty of the country. (ANI)