At least eight Al-Qaeda linked militants were killed in an overnight operation by police in Pakistan's central city of Multan, local Urdu media reported Thursday.

Dawn News said the Counter Terrorism Department (C.T.D.) of police raided a hideout of the militants at the bank of Chenab River in Multan, a city located in the country's east Punjab province.

Police said that the militants were holding a meeting to carry out an attack at a prominent university in the city, when the cops conducted the raid by acting on an intelligence tip-off.

The raid triggered-off a shootout between the militants and the police in which eight insurgents were killed and six others managed to flee the scene by taking advantage of the darkness.

Police kicked off a search operation in the area to hunt down the on-the-run militants.

The C.T.D personnel also recovered arms including suicide jackets, guns and hand grenades from the militants' hideout that was sealed for further investigations.

Police has speeded up the intelligence based operations in the province on the directive of the Country's PM Nawaz Sharif, following a blast at a public park in March this year which killed over 80 people and injured hundreds others.