Pakistani counterterrorism force foils Independence Day militant plot in Sindh, arrests two

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.