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. The operation started with the suicide bombing at the Mall, in which 12 civilians and 6 police officers were killed.
In the video, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar stated that its future target would be the legislative bodies, Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and its supporting institutions, interest-based economic institutions, INGOs/NGOs and the Civil Society Organisations involved in the advocacy of human rights, women rights and community awareness campaigns and liberal writers and liberal political leaders and workers, media persons, Coeducational private schools, colleges and universities and others.
On 22 February 2017, in response to the Operation Ghazi, Pakistan Army launched Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad (lit. "Elimination of Discord") across the country.The operation aimed at indiscriminately eliminating residual threat of terrorism and consolidating gains of operations made so far. It further aimed at ensuring security of the borders. The countrywide de-weaponisation and explosive control were laid as the additional objectives of the operation.