8 ISIS militants held in Pakistan's Punjab

LAHORE: Pakistan police have arrested eight Islamic State militants who were planning "large-scale" terror attacks on government installations in Punjab province.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) spokesman said four members of the terrorist group were arrested yesterday from Lahore, following a tip-off that "terrorists belonging to the IS were planning to attack government installations on a large scale in Lahore and assassination of officials of intelligence agencies."

He said the arrested men also had links with "terrorists who had killed policemen in Lahore and Faisalabad" and they were attempting to trigger unrest in the province.

CTD seized 1,600-kg explosives, safety fuse and four non-electric detonators from them.

In another raid in Chan Qila Gujranwala district, about 80 kilometres from Lahore, CTD in collaboration with intelligence agency officials arrested four other IS members.

They seized weapons and explosives from their possession.

CTD said the arrested terrorists were planning to target officials of law enforcement agencies in Gujranwala.

The Pakistani government has regularly denied the presence of IS in the country, but law enforcement agencies have been arresting IS members from different parts of the country.