HYDERABAD: Ghulam Shabbir Mallah, the secretary general of the proscribed Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), surrendered himself to the Hyderabad police and announced his dissociation from the secessionist group and its activities.

Mallah was produced before the media with his face covered on Monday in the office of Hyderabad SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz.

The police officer told the media that Mallah was ready to face cases against him saying that they were politically instituted cases.

Mallah, a resident of Sehwan, said 16 cases were registered against him in Jamshoro and Hyderabad districts. He said he had become the general secretary of JSMM after Dr Zain Bhutto relinquished the post.

Hyderabad range DIG Naeem Shaikh, who along with SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh, was present in the office, claimed that Mallah surrendered himself due to police action and pressure. He recalled that a number of arrests had been made in the targeted actions against activists of JSMM and Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA).

According to a police statement distributed among reporters, Mallah had joined Shafi Burfat-led JSMM in 2004 and received bomb-making training in Afghanistan.

It quoted Mallah as stating that he was involved in anti-Pakistan activities and terrorist activities like blowing up rail tracks, electricity transmission lines and gas pipelines. He further stated that Burfat was getting funding from India and foreign agents for such activities in Pakistan. He stated that recently JSMM initiated a campaign against dams and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2018