![A policeman September 1 in Peshawar displays ammunition and explosives that police seized in a major operation. Police made 87 arrests in that operation. [Javed Khan]](/cnmi_pf/images/2017/09/06/9455-jj-739_416.webp)
PESHAWAR -- Recent months have witnessed significant achievements by police and other security agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), officials tell Pakistan Forward, citing the break-up of several major terrorist groups.
Those successes might have prevented a massacre during Eid ul Adha.
"We foiled a major terror bid by recovering a huge cache of ammunition during an intelligence based operation in the villages bordering Khyber Agency on September 1," Sajjad Khan, Peshawar senior superintendent for police (SSP) for operations, told Pakistan Forward.
That operation during the wee hours of September 1 -- the eve of Eid -- included 450 police officers and 120 soldiers, he said.
During that operation, authorities seized "51 rocket shells, 17 hand grenades, 18 AK-47's, 16 rifles and 28 pistols ... in the jurisdiction of Regi police station", said Khan the Peshawar SSP.
In that operation, the authorities arrested 87 suspects accused of plotting to attack Peshawar during Eid, he added.
Meanwhile, the Swabi police rounded up 120 suspects in a search operation related to ongoing Eid security measures, Dawn reported Monday (September 4).
Ongoing success
"A number of groups involved in terrorism have been smashed and many of its members held during the last few months that helped improve law and order in Peshawar and rest of the KP," said KP police superintendent Waqar Ahmad.
"If you compared it with the previous years, the number of incidents during the current year is far better in the last over 10 years," he told Pakistan Forward, citing reduced number of explosions, targeted killings, kidnappings, extortions and attacks on police and other forces.
Those who cover the events also see an improved situation.
"There is a visible improvement in the law and order situation in KP for the last many months," said Qaisar Khan, a journalist who has covered the violence in KP for over a decade now.
Khan added that police and other forces have rendered sacrifices and conducted some crucial operations to restore peace.
"There are always threat alerts issued by one or the other force but police have done well while thwarting many incidents by busting the groups before they could execute their plans," he told Pakistan Forward.
