Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Supported by: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa Chairman JCSC Zubair Mahmood Hayat

Naveed Mukhtar Air Chief Sohail Aman Naval Chief Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Omar Khalid Khorasani On 13 February 2017, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar released a video announcing the launch of "Operation Ghazi", named after Abdul Rashid Ghazi who was killed in July 2007 inside the Lal Masjid.

[4] The operation started with the suicide bombing at the Mall, in which 12 civilians and six police officers were killed.

[1] In the video, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar stated that its future targets would be legislative bodies Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and supporting institutions; interest-based economic institutions; INGOs/NGOs and civil society organisations involved in the advocacy of human rights, women's rights and community awareness campaigns; liberal writers, political leaders and workers; media persons; and coeducational private schools, colleges and universities.

The countrywide de-weaponisation and explosive control were laid as the additional objectives of the operation.