Post-PNS Mehran: A day after disaster, barbed wire goes up

Repairs and surveillance start at the back of the navy airbase.

KARACHI:

The authorities at PNS Mehran started working on Tuesday to cover the exposed rear boundary wall of the base with barbed wire.

The terrorists who attacked the base could have taken advantage of the virtually unmanned five to six kilometre wall by the sewage line at the back where the lighting was dismal. Residents of the neighbouring Ghausia Colony confirmed that work had been going on. They said that the authorities had repaired some part of the wall. They also cut down the bushes. “Yup, they were at work today,” said Imran, who lives near by.

One part of the sewer line’s embankment was also partially damaged. A four to six feet wide unmetalled road runs between the nullah and Ghausia Colony with a large open space that residents say people use to grow vegetables.

Above two dozen policemen are now deployed on the rough road to prevent people from using it. “We’ve been told not to let anyone use this route,” said one man from the Special Protection Group. “But whoever wanted to do something has done it and left.

“Now I’m not sure how long we’re going to have to be on duty here.”

All bets are on this being the weak point from where the terrorists entered. “Na Adam na Adamzaat. What better a place to enter from,” said a policeman. “They were trained terrorists, what is a sewage line and some quicksand to them?”  The neighbourhood was abuzz with speculation. “We’ve been taught only one thing since we’ve been kids,” said Shakir Ali, one of the residents. “It’s quicksand in that nullah and whoever goes in, doesn’t come out.” Thus, many of these people are sceptical that that was the point of entry.

One policeman speculated that they used a rope to get across the open sewer. Others pointed out that the CCTV cameras were far off and the visibility is low at night.

The base’s wall is at least 15 feet high. The cameras are installed every 500 metres or so and only one guard mans each watch tower. There were birds nests on some of the cameras.

Ghausia Colony

The neighbouring colony in Shah Faisal No. 5 has about 2,000 people with almost 250 houses. The people who live here are mostly labourers or support themselves by driving rickshaws, running scrap pushcarts. A few residents have passed high school but most of them are uneducated. A majority of them are Urdu speaking and most of them have been living there for a while.

“You won’t find terrorists here,” said resident Khalid Raheem. “You’ll find political people here.” He pointed out that two parties had a grip on the are and people usually avoided going out at night. “We avoid it because it’s really dark and desolate.”

Ghausia Colony has ruled out the presence of terrorists in their neighbourhood. It’s a small place, said a middle-aged woman who runs a sweet kiosk. “Everyone knows each other.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2011.