Eliminating terrorism: Electronic surveillance of terror suspects delayed

Official says govt mulling legislation first

LAHORE:

A plan to install tracking chips on 1,700 people being monitored for terrorist links has been delayed as the government considers introducing the relevant legislation first, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Requesting anonymity, a senior government official said that law enforcement agencies had identified the people last year. He said their names had then been added to the Fourth Schedule. “Basic information about these suspects has been geo-tagged. The ankle-bands should have been installed by now, but the government fears that it can be challenged [in a court],” the official told.

“The ankle bands have been purchased and are ready to be installed. Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is working on the project. The tracking chips in the ankle bands will be monitored through a central dash-board system. If those wearing them go outside the prescribed areas, the band will start beeping and the central dash board will also be alerted,” another official associated with the project said.

The Fourth Schedule defines a terror suspect as “a person who is concerned in terrorism or belongs to a proscribed organisation”. Under the law, a person whose name is placed in the schedule must seek permission from the local law enforcement authorities and inform the local police station before leaving the district where he lives.

“Many of the fourth schedulers have not been informing authorities about their movement away from the districts. These chips will enable authorities to keep track of their movements,” the official said.

“Legislation on the subject is important because if the move has the backing of the lawmakers, the government will be on strong footing to go ahead with the project. We are deciding how many of the fourth schedulers should be brought under this plan. The ankle bands will not be installed on all suspects, but only on those suspected of being in active contact with banned organisations or being their facilitators,” the official said.

Another senior government official said that some problems had surfaced in the working of the ankle bands. “We have observed that if water is poured on these devices, they stop working. The suspects may use the fact to render them dysfunctional. This problem is also being fixed. Currently, the bands cannot be removed without triggering an alert,” he said.

Mahar Ijaz Ahmed Achlana, the Home Department parliamentary secretary, said he was aware of the purchase of the ankle-bands. “However, I cannot comment on why the plan to install those has been delayed,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st,  2016.