Centre puts KP at risk in PTI’s odium

• Sources say imported scanners from China rusting in Islamabad Police Lines while Interior Ministry spokesman says issue will be resolved in a week
• KP Police officials claim terrorist attacks in Peshawar could have been averted if they had scanners
• Shireen Mazari says Centre has kept KP deprived of security scanners in PTI’s enmity

The Interior Ministry has much delayed handing over imported scanners, some of which are being used in Islamabad Police Lines, to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for security checking of vehicles entering the province from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

A delay of around six months has hit the performance of the KP Police badly as its top officials claim that if the scanners had been delivered to the KP government, terrorist attacks, including the one at Army Public School Peshawar, could have been averted, Pakistan Today has learnt.

An official spokesperson of the Interior Minister said that four scanners had been imported from China and the prime minister had directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to sanction one scanner each to Islamabad, KP, Balochistan Police and Narcotics Division. All the departments and ministries would be conveyed about handing over of the scanners within a week’s time and the process would complete soon, he added.

Documents available with this scribe and a statement by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s media cell show that the scanners had been imported from China on a summary forwarded to PM Sharif in January last year by Interior Ministry for induction of Mobile Container/Vehicle Scanner Model MB1215DE manufactured by NUCTECH, China, for security and narcotics control.

The system is based on X-Ray technology and has been found suitable for drug/explosives identification, the summary said, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today. The proposal sought import of at least 20 scanner systems by the government through Interior Ministry.

The prime minister approved the proposal on April 16 as per the proposal which also sought import of scanners and handheld monitors to be provided to KP Police for which all expenses were to be borne by the KP government.

The proposal also identified locations for installation of these scanners at various entry and exit points of Mohmand Agency, Khyber Agency, Darra Adam Khel, Bara, Jamrud, Landi Kotal, Cantonment, Fort Bala Hisar area and Attock Checkpost.

After scanners’ import, the minister issued final acceptance test receipt of the imported scanners including Thscan MB-1215DE relocate-able, portal vehicle, X-Ray inspection system, Thscan MT1213DE mobile vehicle X-Ray inspection system and Thscan TR1000 handheld explosives trace detector, expressing complete satisfaction of the test.

However, the KP government is still awaiting the scanners, which according to Interior Ministry sources are rusting in Islamabad Police Lines.

A well-placed source in the KP Police told this scribe that the ministry was reluctant in handing over the imported scanners to the KP police despite PM’s directives.

“These scanners meant for KP have been stored in Islamabad Police Lines since September 2014. KP is being deprived of scanners for political reasons. However, this delay has cost the country attacks on APS and several imambargahs as the police is unable to counter the entry of explosives and militants into KP from tribal regions,” the source added.

Separately, PTI Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari also accused the Sharif government of denying the smaller provinces their rights. She said KP has been in the forefront of the war on terror suffering great human loss as well as in terms of investment and development.

“It is a Rs 1 billion project. And a KP official was therefore made part of the team that went to China. Two scanners arrived as a test/pilot project later in the year but instead of being given to KP, one was given to Sindh govt and one was deployed in Islamabad,” she added.

“The remaining two scanners also arrived in Islamabad during the PTI dharna and as a result the PM stopped KP receiving those scanners as well. Instead, they are lying unused with the federal government,” she alleged.

“It is a criminal act of vindictive negligence by the federal government to keep the two scanners lying unused simply to spite PTI’s leadership.”