“Rangers-police joint operations will start in a week or two,” the Punjab government's spokesman, Malik Muhammad Ahmad, told Reuters on Monday. It was unclear whether the new crackdown would target groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which are aligned against Pakistan's archrival, India. Critics have accused Pakistan in past crackdowns of sparing militant groups that do not attack on Pakistani soil. The Punjab government has promised “indiscriminate” action against all militants in the past, including after an Easter Day bombing in Lahore that killed 70 people. The attack was claimed by Middle East-based Islamic State, which has a small but increasingly prominent presence in Pakistan.

Source: Sunday Times February 20, 2017 14:28 UTC