By KUNA,
Islamabad : Pakistani security forces have arrested a dozen militants of a banned extremist group for their alleged links to Mumbai terrorist attacks that New Delhi has imputed to Islamabad. The security forces have launched a “quiet” crackdown on activists belonging to the banned Jihadi outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT) in different parts of the country and Pakistan-side Azad Jammu and Kashmir, said press reports here on Monday. Also, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Kashmir, a major army operation was under way in the city suburbs against a site being used by the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD), which is headed by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, a key militant whose extradition India has been repeatedly demanding. Citing sources, local press reports said that forces arrested more than 20 members of the banned organization and LTs “commander” Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi. Security sources told KUNA that the security forces had sealed the offices of JD in Muzaffarabad and nabbed a dozen members of JD. Sources said that the forces would also launch similar operations in several small cities of eastern Punjab province in a couple of days. The operations have been launched after being pressurized by the international community to take action against the organization for its alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks. It may be mentioned here that JD have been actively engaged in Kashmir and other northern parts of frontier provinces after an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude wreaked havoc in the areas in October 2005, killing more than 73,000 people and displacing 2.5 millions of others. The relief operation of JD and other local Islamic groups was hailed by the government at that time.