Counterterrorism police in Pakistan have made a major breakthrough with the arrest of 21 members of the outlawed militant group, the Pakistani Taliban, which has been responsible for several deadly attacks across the country. Acting on intelligence information, the arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks, according to a statement from the provincial Counterterrorism Department.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, is a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. In addition to the arrests of Pakistani Taliban members, the Counterterrorism Department also announced the capture of Mohammad Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army, which mostly operates in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province.

Baluchistan has been the site of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. They initially sought a larger share of provincial resources, but their demands later evolved into a push for independence. The province is also known to be home to the TTP and other domestic militant groups. The statement from the Counterterrorism Department did not provide details about the attacks the militants were allegedly involved in, including the number of casualties.