Islamabad, July 03, 2018 (PPI-OT): Sub-Committee of Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meeting was given a comprehensive briefing about the Individual Security Threat Assessment Committee (ISTAC) constituted after Supreme Court gave orders regarding security deployment with famous personalities. The Committee was told by DIG Security that ISTAC at the Federal level is headed by DIG Security Islamabad comprised of SSP Operations Islamabad, SSP Security Islamabad, AIG Special Branch, Director Islamabad of ISI, Director Islamabad of IB and Director of NACTA. The Committee was constituted by the verbal approval of Secretary Interior and was notified by Inspector General of Police in Islamabad. After its notification and development of TORs/SOPs the report was submitted to the Supreme Court whereby Chief Justice of Pakistan approved the mechanism adopted for working of the Committee.
The meeting of the sub-Committee was held with the Convener Senator Javed Abbasi in the Chair and was attended among others by Senator Muhammad Ateeq Sheikh, Joint Secretary Interior Alam Zeb Khan, Joint Secretary Interior Salman Qayyum Khan, Obaid Farooq Malik Director Operations NACTA, Fayyaz Ahmed RPO Rawalpindi, Waqar Chauhan DIG Security ICT, Najeeb-ur-Rehman SSP Operations ICT, Liaquat Niazi AIG Special Branch, Hassan Sardar Niazi SSP Security Karachi.
The committee was told that the entitlement to availing security is determined on two basis; either by ministry of interior and cabinet division or through a court order. Other than these no other body is authorised to define criteria for entitlement of security. Other than entitlement, ISTAC considers the matters of deployment of security on basis of threat assessment, importance of personality and whether the security is needed for any service to state or as an outcome of a personal affair. The Committee also takes information from intelligence agencies and other official sources as well as reviews applications from individuals.
The Committee appreciated the Islamabad police for developing an effective mechanism on threat assessment while at the same time asking them to submit complete lists of people who currently have security vehicles or personnel with them. SSP Security Karachi told the Committee that Sindh had benefitted the most from the practice and said that as of today 1,000 security personnel and 50 vehicles have returned to the police department which can now be used efficiently. The Committee in its next meeting will take detailed briefings from the police departments of the four provinces.
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