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Pakistan has arrested 2010 militants and separatists, including 333 members of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, in the recent crackdown, while authorities released 16 others for want of evidence of their involvement with the two outfits.
The total number of arrested militants belonging to the five banned outfits in the four provinces stood at 2010, including 130 militants from JeM and 203 activists of LeT, officials said.
Four members of Harkat-ul Mujahideen were also arrested and seven of their offices sealed in Northwest Frontier Province in the crackdown.
They said 16 detained Lashkar and Jaish activists were released from Bahawalpur as no evidence could be found against them to substantiate their involvement in Jaish and Lashkar activities, according to The News daily.
This is the first time that a comprehensive break up of the arrests has been published in the media.
About 625 offices of the groups banned by President Pervez Musharraf on January 12 were sealed with 181 premises of Jaish and 187 belonging to Lashkar facing closure.
The latest figures of the crackdown do not include those arrested in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The majority of the arrests were that of members of the banned sectarian outfits, Sipha-e-Sehba of Pakistan and the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, extremist Sunni groups, and their Shia rival, Tehrik-e-Jafriya of Pakistan.
The Tehrik-e-Nifaz had mobilised thousands to fight alongside the Taliban.
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