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3 SRA terrorists arrested for firing at Independence Day stall, killing owner: CTD

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Wednesday that its personnel, along with those of a federal intelligence agency, had arrested three men affiliated with the banned Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) for their involvement in firing at an Independence Day stall in Karachi. In a statement, CTD said the stall owner was killed in the incident that took place on August 12. “A stall selling national flags and badges was fired at in Defence Housing Authority Phase 2 near Sunset Boulevard at around 11:30pm,” the statement said, adding that the stall owner was seriously wounded in the incident and later succumbed to his injuries. The deceased — identified as Aman, a resident of Korangi’s Christian Town — had set up the stall at the location since the beginning of August, CTD said. Following the firing incident, a case was registered at the Defence police station, and CTD, along with a federal intelligence agency, launched a joint operation to apprehend the perpetrators. “The investigation teams took the investigation forward on technical grounds and with the help of other available evidence,” the press statement said. On August 18, three terrorists were arrested in a joint operation near Korangi Causeway in Karachi, it added. According to CTD, three hand grenades and a pistol were recovered from the arrested men, who were identified as Zafar Ali, Faraz and Sajjad Ahmad. Action was being taken against them under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act 1908, it said. The statement added that the arrested men revealed during interrogation that they were affiliated with the proscribed SRA and had been tasked with targeting Independence Day stalls in Karachi. They said they received directions from an SRA member residing outside Pakistan, identifying him as Arsalan Shah. CTD said Shah “worked to spread terrorism in Sindh at the behest of an Indian proxy”. The statement said it was found during the investigation that Sajjad had begun reconnaissance of Independence Day stalls from August 3 and decided to target the stall located in DHA Phase 2 on August 11. On the night of August 12, Sajjad reached the site on a motorcycle, while two of his accomplices, Zafar and Faraz, were on a different motorcycle to provide him cover. Sajjad opened fire at the person present at the stall and fled the scene immediately after, the statement said. After their arrest, they revealed that they were getting financial support from abroad “to create fear and panic in Karachi ahead of August 14”. CTD said further investigation regarding their “alleged facilitators” was under way. “The arrested terrorists are being interrogated while a probe is also under way to trace any of their possible facilitators, coordinators outside Pakistan, sources providing them financial assistance and weapons and ammunition,” the statement said, adding an investigation was also being conducted regarding their possible involvement in other incidents of crime. The interior ministry had banned the SRA in 2020, along with Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Aresar Group (JSQM-A) and Sindhu Desh Liberation Army (SLA) under the Anti-Terrorism Act. SRA operatives have been found involved in multiple incidents of terrorism, and it was around this same time last year that Hyderabad CTD had said it had arrested three “most-wanted terrorists” SRA in Jamshoro during an intelligence-based operation. “The terrorists of the banned SRA were wanted in the cases related to firing on cargo trawlers going to Punjab, especially in the areas of district Sujawal,” CTD said at the time, adding that they had confessed to carrying out multiple attacks, including planting bombs on railway tracks and targeting law enforcement personnel. In February 2024, Karachi police had registered a case against unidentified individuals who were said to be SRA operatives for their alleged involvement in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the provincial office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Saddar. No casualties were reported in the incident. CTD had also arrested a suspect said to be linked with SRA in Karachi in November 2022 for allegedly planning an attack on a Chinese doctor in Hyderabad. CTD said the funding for the planned attack was provided by SRA’s Germany-based leader, Zulfiqar Khaskheli. The banned outfit had also claimed responsibility for an IED blast in Karachi’s Saddar in May 2022 that claimed the life of a man and left several others injured.