KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Sunday discharged two suspects allegedly associated with the outlawed Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) in a case pertaining to the possession of explosives.

The investigating officer (IO) produced the suspects, Sarmad Ali Raza and Ghani Aman Chandio, before the duty magistrate (West) at the City Courts amid tight security in an armoured vehicle.

According to the remand papers, the IO stated that the suspects had been apprehended by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) during an intelligence-based operation conducted in Machhar Colony.

He claimed that the CTD had allegedly recovered a grenade from the suspects’ possession, which was later defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad.

The IO stated that the suspects were affiliated with the banned SRA and sought their one-day transit remand to produce them before the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts.

On the other hand, defence counsel Haseeb Panhwar moved an application seeking their discharge under the relevant provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Speaking to Dawn, Advocate Panhwar said he had argued before the court that the suspects were falsely implicated in the case with mala fide intentions.

He maintained that the law enforcement agency had allegedly picked them up earlier, and their custody was later shown in the present explosives case.

The counsel added that he had placed on record copies of a constitutional petition filed in the Sindh High Court regarding the disappearance of the suspects, along with applications submitted to the authorities concerned and a KBA resolution expressing concern over their disappearance.

After hearing the counsel and examining the remand papers, the court allowed the defence application and discharged them under Section 63 of the CrPC in the case, directing the IO to submit a charge sheet within the stipulated period as per law.

A day earlier, the CTD had claimed that it had registered two cases against the suspects under relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Explosives Act.

It alleged that the suspects had a past criminal record as they were allegedly involved in five terrorism cases registered in Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Larkana.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2025