Pakistani terrorists' new ways of money making

Lahore, May 17 (ANI): Pakistani terrorists are adopting new ways of money making by giving death, kidnapping threats to government officials.

Senior Government officials in Pakistan's Punjab province have received death threats from terrorists, as target killings, kidnappings and extortion are being termed the "new ways" adopted by terrorists to cater for their funds.

SSP Special Investigative Unit (SIU) Karachi Raja Umar Khitab disclosed that terrorist groups, before focusing on Punjab, had "rattled" Karachi with their activities, as the provincial metropolis acted as a gateway for them, especially for foreign and local militants.

The Daily Times quoted him as saying that over a period of two decades, a large number of Mehsud tribes, with their bases in the tribal areas, had settled in Karachi.

Khitab said that a group of terrorists robbed nine banks in 2007 and two in 2008 in an attempt to gather funds for their cause against the US.

However, the chapter closed when they were put to the task by the law enforcement agencies.

He said that now these militants tended to adopt different ways and made several precedents through target killing and extortion. Khitab also disclosed that they collected funds for their activities from the Mehsud tribesmen in Karachi, threatening them for the lives of their family in their native area.

He revealed that kidnapping for ransom was another way through which they collected their funds; the kidnapping of Sateesh Anand Shukla and Shaukat Afridi were one of the examples.

Intelligence reports have confirmed that Punjab is now the centre of attention and these terrorists are now focusing on the target killing of law enforcers. (ANI)