KARACHI: The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts on Monday directed the investigating officer (IO) to arrest three activists of the outlawed Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) for their alleged involvement in an improvised explosives device (IED) attack in Saddar.

Police arrested Sabir Kharal, said to be associated with the outlawed SRA, for his alleged involvement in the May 12 blast on Daud Pota Road that killed one man and wounded several others.

On Monday, the IO produced the held suspect before the administrative judge on expiry of his physical remand to seek an extension in the same.

He informed the court that the provincial home department had constituted a joint investigation team (JIT), which was probing the incident.

He submitted that three alleged accomplices of the detained suspect — identified as Asghar Shah, Ghulam Mehdi and Noor Muhammad — were still at large.

He said further remand of Kharral was required to interrogate him in order to arrest his fleeing accomplices.

Declining the request for extension in police remand, the judge remanded the suspect in judicial custody directing the IO to produce him on the next date.

The judge also told the IO to track down the fleeing suspects and produce them in court on the next date along with an investigation report.

The Counter-Terrorism Department said that the IED attack targeted a vehicle of the Pakistan Coast Guards.

It added that the group allegedly received training and money from SRA’s head, Asghar Shah, who is residing in Iran.

Pre-arrest bail of PSF men recalled

A sessions court on Monday recalled the interim pre-arrest granted to 17 students, who had been booked for a clash with a rival students’ group at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), as they failed to furnish the amount of surety.

On the last date, the additional district and sessions judge (South) had granted bail before arrest to the suspects, said to be associated with the Peoples Student Federation (PSF), against a surety bond of Rs20,000 each.

On May 26, the two groups, associated with the PSF and Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), had clashed over union-related issues in which 20 men were injured.

Some 27 activists of the IJT are currently on interim pre-arrest bail.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2022