KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Thursday claimed to have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the attack on Chinese citizens in Sukkur in December 2016.

“The suspects — Fayaz Husain and Liaquat Ali — belonging to the banned subnationalist organisation Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) have been arrested by the CTD from Dhobi Ghat in the Garden area,” said CTD DIG Saqib Ismail Memon.

“Explosive material and literature of the banned outfit have been recovered from their possession,” he added.

Arrested individuals wanted to derail CPEC, says CTD

During interrogation, the two ‘confessed’ that they were involved in the remote-controlled bomb attack on the Chinese engineers’ vehicle in Sukkur in December 2016 in which the engineers remained unhurt. They were working on a CPEC-related project there. The bomb was planted in a bicycle.

One of their accomplices, Nasrullah Jamali, who helped the two in carrying out the attack, had already been arrested by the Sindh CTD, said Mr Memon.

Motive behind attack

The held suspect, Fayaz, told interrogators that he had been running his shop in his village and used to procure eatables etc from Khairpur city, where he met Raja Bhanbhro, now dead, who inspired him to join the subnationalist group, revealed CTD Additional IG Dr Sanaullah Abbasi.

“The suspect has completed education till Intermediate from Khairpur district,” he added.

Regarding their motive, the arrested suspect told the CTD investigators that by carrying out the bomb attack on the Chinese engineers working on the CPEC-related project on the National Highway in Sukkur, they wanted to trigger fear among foreigners and keep them away from working on the project.

“Besides, the arrested individuals wanted to make the JSMM presence felt by creating fear among the people,” added the Sindh CTD chief while sharing details of the initial investigation.

The arrested suspect also told the police that there were at least 10 members of the subnationalist group, who wanted to create hindrances for CPEC-related projects.

Fayaz further told the CTD that JSMM members had also carried out an armed attack on Chinese engineers in June 2017 in Ghotki district in which two engineers, Yiyu Shairing and Endee, and a police constable, Yar Mohammed, were wounded.

The held suspect told the police that JSMM did not have a strong hold on Sindh province while their presence was only felt in Nawabshah where their party’s centre was located.

The CTD Sindh chief, Mr Abbasi, told Dawn that the seized literature showed that the subnationalist group was instigating people in an organised manner against the security institutions of the country and for the creation of Sindhudesh.

Regarding the other held suspect, Liaquat, the additional IG said he belonged to Sukkur and had acquired primary education.

Liaquat told the CTD that he initially worked as a labourer in Sukkur and subsequently opened his shop there where he was influenced by a JSMM activist to join the group.

He told the investigators that JSMM also had a militant wing which name was Sindh Liberation Army, which was allegedly involved in attacks on law-enforcement agencies in order to spread unrest among citizens.

Dr Sanaullah Abbasi believed that “a hybrid and asymmetrical war” was going on against Pakistan and certain subnationalist groups in Sindh were part of it.

He pointed out that CPEC was mainly opposed by subnationalist groups that had alleged backing of foreign elements.

He disclosed that they would send the cases of JSMM activists to military court for trial.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018