Pakistan police arrest 12 activists of Hizbut Tahrir for Islamic State links

LAHORE: Twelve members of the banned Hizbut Tahrir organisation have been arrested by Pakistani police here for their alleged links with the dreaded IS outfit.

The police in collaboration with intelligence agencies had arrested 12 members of Hizbut Tahrir (HT) and recovered banned literature from them, a senior police officer told PTI.

"We have arrested the Hizbut Tahrir members in Lahore for their alleged links with the IS. We have sent their mobile phone data for forensic test that will help us reach those working here for the IS," he said.

Earlier, posters and graffiti supporting the Islamic State appeared in different parts of Punjab province, including Lahore, triggering panic among the security agencies about the presence of the militant outfit in Pakistan.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and former interior minister Rehman Malik have already declared presence of the IS in the country.

"The IS will soon announce its Pakistan chapter," Malik has said.

"The Nawaz government is strict against pious Muslims but soft on infidels," a spokesman of the organisation said while condemning the arrest.

The police have shifted the arrested persons to undisclosed location for interrogation.

Hizbut Tahrir is an international pan-Islamic political organisation that believes in the re-establishment of caliphate. It was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Lebanon.