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Thursday March 28, 2024

On paper, Sindh’s new anti-terrorism force is ready

KarachiTo effectively deal with the prevailing threats, the provincial police department has decided to form a counter-terrorism department and completed the paperwork for this purpose, with only the government’s nod to its budget remaining to go ahead with the plan.After the federal government framed a national action plan to crack

By Salis bin Perwaiz
February 02, 2015
Karachi
To effectively deal with the prevailing threats, the provincial police department has decided to form a counter-terrorism department and completed the paperwork for this purpose, with only the government’s nod to its budget remaining to go ahead with the plan.
After the federal government framed a national action plan to crack down on terrorist outfits, the provinces were directed to form new departments solely focusing on this issue.
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had immediately formed such departments, but in Sindh, the funds for this purpose are yet to be allocated.
So far, the Sindh police’s Crime Investigation Department has been fighting a lone battle - and achieving success - against major terrorist groups including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Jundullah and the Taliban.
However, for the past few months, the CID has been facing difficulties including shortage of funds, manpower and other resources.
The department has been working without a chief, an Additional IGP, or a deputy, a DIG, and pretty much working on its own without the high-ups paying attention its issues.
Sources said a senior police official had prepared a report containing the plan for the counter-terrorism department.
It is stated in the report that the vision behind the formation of the department is to create the highest quality multi-disciplinary counter-terrorism unit with a strategy to combat and prevent all forms of terrorism.
The unit will have mandate against all forms of terrorism as laid down in the 19th Amendment and Anti-Terrorism Act.
It will be headed by a DIG and have an SSP operations, SSP investigation, a legal support unit, a logistical support unit, a cyber support and data analysis unit. The department will comprise 800 officials and lower-ranked officers.

Operation unit
The operation unit will 500 men recruited in collaboration with the army.
They will be aged between 21 and 25 years. The members of the operation unit will be trained at army training centres on the patterns of the special services group and the anti-terrorist squad.
To build capacity of the new force, school and college will be set up to introduce operational, tactical and legal courses. The members’ salaries will begin from Rs50,000.
Besides, the members of the force will not be transferred to any other police department.
Their promotions will be based on performance and courses.
They will be stationed at a single place in separate police lines in well-fortified barracks having all facilities of lodging and bordering including training and recreational facilities.

Investigation unit
The investigation unit will have a team of 200 investigators. They will be selected through the Sindh Public Service Commission. Their salaries will start from 75,000. Some of the investigators will be inspectors from the regular police, having vast experience of handling terrorism cases. The investigators will be trained at the judicial academy and department’s schools and college. The unit will be responsible for intelligence gathering. It will encourage both horizontal and vertical flow of information from within the police departments, especially from police constables working on the ground.
This unit will also liaise, share and collect intelligence from all sister agencies to prevent terrorist activities.

Cyber crime unit
The cyber crime and data analysis unit will comprise a team of 10 experts and their leader. Its members will be qualified in handling cases of cyber crime. The team leader will have Master’s degree, preferably from a foreign university.
The cyber crime team leader shall be selected for a pay scale of grade-19, whereas the other members will also be given a competitive package.

The case for new dept
Presenting the arguments for the department’s formation in the report, the official noted that Pakistan ranked third on global terrorism, only better than Iraq and Afghanistan. In the last few years, terrorism-related deaths have increased by 37 percent and injuries by 28 percent. In 2013 alone, there were 71 cases of suicide bombing, causing 2,740 causalities.
It was noted that although the cases of terrorist attacks in Karachi constituted just 16 percent of the total, the dynamics of terrorism in Karachi were multifarious and became more serious because of the size of the city.
Karachi has an estimated population of 23.5 million and an area of 3,527 square kilometres with a population density of 6,000 square kilometres.
Keeping in view the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, there are strong possibilities that most of the terrorists from the upcountry have entered Karachi and formed sleeping cells.
The attacks on the airport, the PNS Mehran Base and the dockyard have exposed Karachi’s vulnerability.
The official stated that it was high time to revamp the Karachi police, imparting them with anti-terrorist skills and equipment so that the upcoming challenges could be met.