Through the Airport Security Force (ASF) has been demanding Rs 500 million for quite some time to replace its old weapons with the new ones, the ministry concerned seems least concerned about it, official sources said on Tuesday.
They said a senior ASF official recently briefed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence that the ASF had outdated arms and ammunition that could undermine the security of airports. The committee was also informed that the arms carried by personnel of ASF needed to be replaced with sophisticated weaponry to counter any security threat effectively.
The replacement of weaponry of the force was badly needed but the required funds had not been available with the ministry. According to an official of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, at present, is daily handling 18 international and domestic airlines. Some foreign airlines have also expressed their concerns about security arrangements at the airport.
Rush of passengers and mess have been witnessed several times at the airport due to insufficient security arrangements. Sources said the situation would improve if the matter were resolved immediately. They said a five-member sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence had been formed to look into the issue. “The sub-committee has also been mandated to deal with the recruitment policy, salary and service structure of ASF,” they said.
good asf desperately need it
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