HYDERABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to writer Taj Joyo’s son Sarang Joyo and five others booked along with over 250 others in a sedition case after a rally held on Sunday.

The others who were granted interim bail are Sarang’s wife Sohni Joyo, Advocate Mohib Azad, Ghani Aman, Shabbir Laghari and Imtiaz Mirani.

They were granted bail in a sum of Rs30,000 each.

The sedition case was registered at the Cantonment police station on behalf of the state.

The suspects have been accused of raising anti-state slogans and tearing off pro-army posters affixed on walls at the venue of the rally.

The rally was organised by a group calling itself the ‘Sindhian National Congress’, Advocate Mohib Azad being its chief organiser.

Sarang Joyo issued a statement on Tuesday to confirm that he and the five others had been granted interim pre-arrest bail. They were represented by advocates Mir Mangrio and Israr Chang.

Sarang said that protests were held in different districts of Sindh on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two activists of ‘Sindh Saba’ group were picked up from outside the Hyderabad Press Club. The group was not allowed to hold its programme scheduled to be held on Tuesday in the club.

According to Hyderabad SSP Adeel Chandio, the two activists, Shabbir Sindhi and Raja Chandio, were picked up in connection with the FIR registered against them at the Cantonment police station soon after Sunday’s SNC rally.

Sindh Saba leader Inam Abbasi was said to have been picked up earlier in Karachi, according to a source. Abbasi had previously led a march against ‘enforced disappearances’ in Sindh.

Samina Chandio, said to be vice president of Sindh Saba, had booked the club premises for its Tuesday programme. She and about five other activists had arrived at the venue before the police blocked access to the club with barbed wires.

No one was allowed to get into the club. Initially, even members of the club were stopped from entering it but later they were allowed to proceed.

The Sindh Saba programme could not be held and the activists who had arrived to attend it remained present inside for a few hours until a group of lawyers arrived and took them along.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025