KARACHI: The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) of the police in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province announced on Saturday it had foiled a major attack planned to coincide with Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, following the arrest of two militants belonging to a proscribed armed group operating in the region.
The Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) is a separatist militant outfit known for its violent activities aimed at promoting Sindhi nationalism.
The group has been involved in a range of attacks, including bombings, targeted killings and sabotage of infrastructure such as railway tracks and electricity pylons.
The CTD reported it had arrested two members of the group, Jameel Sheikh and Salahuddin Jatoi, with the help of intelligence agencies while they were planning an attack in Larkana, a major urban center known historically and politically as the hometown of the Bhutto family.
“The arrested terrorists had planned to bomb the central ceremony and the jail on Independence Day,” CTD Deputy Superintendent of Police Syed Asghar Shah said in a written statement.
“Explosives weighing 350 grams, six detonators, a hand grenade, safety fuse, wire, nuts and bolts and black powder were recovered from the terrorists,” he added.
Shah said the two suspected militants were also involved in the attack on a police office with a hand grenade two months ago.
“The arrested terrorists had received 15 days of training in Kandahar, Afghanistan,” he added.
The CTD announced the arrest of another SRA militant on Thursday, saying he was involved in violent activities targeting paramilitary personnel, Chinese workers and a prominent religio-political party in the country.
It reported he was arrested in Shaheed Benazirabad district, previously known as Nawabshah, along with a significant quantity of explosives and detonators, as he was planning to carry out an explosion on a train traveling from Sindh to Punjab.
All three SRA militants were said to have visited Afghanistan for training.
Officials in Islamabad have frequently accused the Taliban administration in Kabul of facilitating groups involved in cross-border attacks against Pakistani people and security forces.
However, the Afghan government has denied the allegation and described Islamabad’s security challenges as Pakistan’s domestic issue.
Pakistani counterterrorism force foils Independence Day militant plot in Sindh, arrests two
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Pakistani counterterrorism force foils Independence Day militant plot in Sindh, arrests two
- CTD says the militants were planning to target Larkana Jail on August 14 and were in possession of explosives
- The arrested militants are said to belong to the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army and were trained in Afghanistan
Pakistan PM orders strategy to improve project execution as multilateral lenders propose reforms
- Shehbaz Sharif says he will personally lead a steering committee to speed up priority projects
- Four working groups proposed to streamline approvals, procurement, land issues and staffing
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed officials to draw up a detailed strategy to improve the planning and execution of development projects, saying he would personally chair a steering committee aimed at ensuring timely and transparent completion of priority schemes.
The move came during a meeting where the World Bank and Asian Development Bank presented recommendations to the government on strengthening project implementation.
According to the prime minister’s office, participants received a briefing that said project approvals involve multiple steps and need simplification, while timely procurement and better readiness tools could also help accelerate implementation.
“National projects of critical importance must be completed transparently and on time,” Sharif told officials, according to the statement. “This is our priority.”
He said the federal and provincial steering committee on development-sector reforms would be headed by him.
The statement said four working groups were also proposed during the meeting: one to review approval and preparation processes, a second to modernize procurement, a third to address land acquisition and resettlement challenges, and a fourth to focus on human-resource alignment and staff deployment for development schemes.
Sharif thanked the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for their support and said development projects must be aligned with the objectives of Pakistan’s Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and provincial Annual Development Plans (ADPs).
The meeting was attended by senior federal ministers, provincial representatives, senior civil servants and the country directors of both multilateral lenders.
