The Counter-Terrorism Department of Pakistan has claimed that it has arrested five members of the Baloch and Sindhi “pro-independence” groups Baloch Liberation Army and the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army. CTD claims that the detainees are involved in various attacks targeting Pakistani security forces in Balochistan and Sindh.
The CTD identified the alleged SRA member as Manzoor Hussain who was detained in Hyderabad’s Subhan Colony. The forces claimed that he was involved in the bomb blasts in Saddar, Karachi, and the Hyderabad Railway Track. CTD said that Hussain was also the mastermind of various attacks targeting the Pakistani forces. CTD added that the detainee had made a “failed attempt” to conduct an IED blast on March 23, Pakistan Day.
The Counter-Terrorism Department also claimed on May 18 that they have killed Allah Dino and Nawab, alleged accomplices of Manzoor Hussain in the attacks, in a gun battle. However, local sources have denied these claims and said that the duo were “kidnapped” by the Pakistani forces on May 15 from Karachi’s Saddar and moved to an undisclosed location. Sources also said that Allah Dino and Nawab had no relation whatsoever with any armed group – they were workers of the Sindhi nationalist party Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM).
The CTD also claimed that it had arrested three members of the Baloch Liberation Army in Karachi. CTD claimed that it had recovered a large cache of weaponry from the detainees, including 11 hand grenades, 50 detonators and 15 safety fuses. The forces said that the three detainees used to trade weaponry and explosive material in Sindh and Balochistan.
The police have said that the three detainees were involved in an attack targeting the army convoy in 2005. They had also transported over 22 kilos of explosives from Jacobabad to Sukkur in January this year, the police said.
The Sindudesh Revolutionary Army and the Baloch Liberation Army have not commented on the arrests yet.