Jail authorities told to produce SLA men in ATC in Saddar blast case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has directed jail authorities to produce three activists of the banned Sindhudesh Liberation Army (SLA) in a case pertaining to an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Saddar.

Dilber Ali, a police constable, Abdul Sattar Shar and Abdul Qayyum were arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department for their alleged involvement in the blast. On May 12, a passer-by was killed while several others wounded in the explosion on Daud Pota Road. A Pakistan Coast Guards vehicle was the target of the attack.

As the ATC-XVI judge, who is conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, resumed hearing the case, the prison authorities failed to produce the suspects. The investigating officer, Inspector Syed Muhammad Sarfaraz, was also called absent.

The judge directed the IO to turn up at the next hearing along with the police file. The prison authorities were told to also ensure production of the suspects on the next date. According to CTD officials, the suspects and their absconding accomplices – identified as Asghar Shah, Ghulam Mehdi and Noor Muhammad – had facilitated the blast.

Dilber, who was posted at the Rapid Response Force, was the main facilitator in the blast that was carried out by a group which allegedly received training and money from the SRA’s head, Asghar Shah, residing in Iran.

Following the incident, two cases were lodged under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and Sections ¾ of the Explosive Substance Act, at the CTD-South.