Capital’s Anti-Terrorism Squad turned into patrolling force

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is working as a patrolling force instead of its original role to curb terrorist activities in the federal capital.

As compared to counter-terrorism wings in the provinces, the force completely failed to trace, arrest, investigate and prosecute any bounty terrorist or to give a timely response to any incident since decades.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad is a specialised force, launched in 1982, and trained at the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Academy to tackle rough, tough, hard and serious situations. The Islamabad Police had turned the ATS members into a ‘patrolling force’ despite the fact they are getting higher salaries as compared to the police.

On the directions of then-Interior Affairs Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, the ATS squad is patrolling in the capital along with the paramilitary forces since 2014, according to an official of the Islamabad Police. The force also lacked intelligence gathering due to lack of intelligence wing like in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Therefore, ATS is unable to gather information about the planned terrorist activities, unawareness of the expected threats in the capital making it impossible for them to tackle any untoward situation timely. There is currently 933 ATS personnel in the capital, included 30 inspectors, 23 sub-inspectors, 119 assistant sub-inspectors, 89 head constables, and 674 constables.

Out of which, 110 ATS personals are on VVIP duties. 36 personals including 5 inspectors, 1 sub-inspector (SI), 6 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI), 9 head constables (HC) and 15 constables are on Special Petro Group (SPG), moreover, 64 other personal including 5 inspectors, 3 SIs, 9 ASIs, and others are on VVIP duties with ministers, judges and other high profile personalities. The remaining 835 ATS personnel are on general duty, with no benefits.

Earlier, most of the ATS personnel were deployed on VVIP duties, but last year, under the new policy, most of them were directed to report back. Repeated attempts were made to the concerned heads of ATS to provide the upscale cases investigated by the ATS during the last five to ten years, but was provided, however, some said ‘there is no big achievement of ATS so far’.

However, a high official on the condition of anonymity said that ATS was not formed to trace terrorist activities, their plans not to tackle the situation after terrorist activity. ‘Later, the objective of ATS was changed to react promptly, more efficiently and perfectly to the serious situation.’

In the F-8 Kactheri attack in 2014, in which at least 11 people, including additional sessions judge Rafaqat Awan, were killed and 29 others were wounded on March 3 during a gun and bomb attack in a court in the capital city’s F-8 area.

Following which, a magisterial inquiry was conducted which suggested that, “Police SOPs (standard operating procedures) should be revised to separate terrorist attacks from the generic laying down of Crime Scene Management task as both require very different responses from police,” Islamabad’s then deputy commissioner, who conducted the inquiry, observed in the report.

Only one regular and two ATS constables, with the SHO Margalla police directing them, challenged the terrorist attackers on that bloody day while senior police officers and others arrived at the scene after the bloodbath was over.

Though the mayhem appeared to have started sometime between 8:50am and 9am, according to the report, SSP Dr Mohammad Rizwan reached there at 9:32am, a few minutes after the second suicide bomber blew himself up, bringing a deathly silence to the place.

Islamabad Inspector General of Police Khalid Khan Khattak told this scribe that the ATS was formed to tackle serious criminal or terrorist situations after the incident and due to the lack of intelligence wing; they were unable to make predictions and counter plans for any terrorist activity before its happening. Therefore they are on patrol, so they can be the first responder to any criminal activity as they have special training.

However, a new Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) has been established in Islamabad, which will start functioning soon. This force will have the expertise to defuse the terrorist activities before it happens.

‘A batch of 378 CTF personals have been fully trained after their recruitment on merit including 22 female officers and the second batch is in training,’ he said adding that CTF will replace ATS.

He said that CTF would also have proper intelligence wing, agents across the capital for information gathering and with their investigation skills, it would be tougher for anyone to plan, execute any terrorist activity in the capital.

Another police officer informed this scribe that CTF headquarter has also been constructed, equipped with latest technology parallel to the IGP office, and the force would be led by SSP CTF Amin Bukhari. Moreover, 125 vehicles are also purchased for the purpose including 41 single cabins, 3 double cabins, 1 Vigo, 1 ambulance and 2 APC’s under approved PC-1.