Sindh separatist outfits including JSQM-A banned

ISLAMABAD: The government has banned a nationalist and two separatist organisations in Sindh for involvement in terrorism, bringing the total number of the proscribed outfits in the country to 76.

The Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz – Arisar Group (JSQM-A), Sindhudesh Revolution Army (SRA) and Sindhudesh Liberation Army (SLA) were have been added to the list of banned organisations under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The Ministry of Interior has issued a notification in this regard. “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 11-B (1) sub section (a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, the federal government after approval of the cabinet, places the organisations in the proscribed list as there are reasonable grounds of believing that the said organisations are concerned in terrorism.”

The notification further says, “The federal government hereby orders that following (JSQM-A, SRA, SLA) to be the proscribed organisations for the purpose of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and list the aforesaid organisations in the first schedule to the said act.”

After the notification of the Interior Ministry, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) has also updated its list of proscribed organisations and has included the above mentioned three names on the list. According to the reports of intelligence agencies, the outfits are actively involved in the terrorist activities in different parts of Sindh and Balochistan.

A summary was sent to the federal cabinet headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan which approved banning all three almost a month ago. The Interior Ministry could issue a notification due to ongoing coronavirus crisis.

It should be mentioned that there are five factions of the Sindh nationalist party headed by the followers of GM Syed, a prominent Sindhi nationalist leader and founder of Jeay Sindh Movement (JSQM) who died in 1995.

JSQM-A is currently headed by Aslam Khairpuri, a follower of Abdul Wahid Arisar who founded the faction in 2006. He died in May 2015 and was inspired by the ideology of GM Syed.

The SLA is known as a militant group working under self-exiled Shafi Muhammad Barfat. He formed Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) which was declared a proscribed outfit in 2013.

The SRA is also another militant faction founded by Asghar Shah, who was once a close aide of Barfat but later a falling apart. He is a resident of Jamshoro but his current whereabouts are unknown.