The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), in collaboration with a federal intelligence agency, arrested two suspected terrorists affiliated with the banned Sindhu Desh Liberation Army (SLA) from Karachi, 24NewsHD reported.
According to the CTD, the arrested men were identified as Madad Ali, also known as Ali, and Junaid Ali Abbasi.
The department said both men were in contact with SLA commander Darya Khan and were planning to target personnel of law enforcement agencies.
The CTD also claimed to have recovered an improvised explosive device (IED) and a hand grenade from their possession, and said the banned organisation had provided them with military training and explosive material.
According to the CTD, both men reached Karachi after receiving directives from Commander Darya and had completed reconnaissance of important and sensitive buildings in the city.
The CTD registered separate cases against both men, the report said.
The CTD is the Sindh Police’s specialised unit for counter-terrorism operations, and it works with intelligence agencies on operations against banned outfits and their networks in the province. The arrests followed intelligence work, according to the department’s account.
The Sindhu Desh Liberation Army is a banned organisation, according to the CTD. The department’s account describes it as a separatist outfit operating in Sindh, and the two arrested men are alleged to have been working for it under the direction of its commander. It is one of the separatist outfits that the state has banned, and the CTD says its members have been involved in attacks on law enforcement personnel and state installations.
Under the law, arrested suspects are produced before a court within 24 hours, where police seek their physical remand for investigation. Cases registered under anti-terrorism laws are then tried in anti-terrorism courts, where the prosecution must prove the charges on the basis of the evidence collected during the investigation.
Counter-terrorism departments in the provinces investigate terrorism-related cases, gather intelligence on banned outfits and carry out raids on the basis of that intelligence. The CTD said the Karachi arrests were the result of such intelligence work, carried out together with a federal intelligence agency.
The claims about the men’s affiliation, their plans and the material recovered from them are based on the CTD’s account, and the cases registered against them will now proceed under the law. Further details are expected as the investigation continues and the cases move through the legal process.
