The CAA imposition of the restrictions is going to upset a lot of innocent people who wish to do nothing more than welcome or wave off their loved ones. Some may consider it an overreaction, and there are going to be instances in the coming days of angry reactions to the new arrangements. Regulating a previously unregulated flow of people at the airports is going to present logistical challenges to the CAA as well. It may be that pragmatic realities will force a rethink in terms of the numbers that meet and greet, but for now it is early days and we await developments. Airport security in Pakistan is poor overall. Perimeters are encroached everywhere, there are multiple agencies not always working well together who carry a security responsibility and there are groups within the country which see our airports as prime targets. Reducing the vulnerability of airports is an intelligence-led activity that has to mesh with civilian agencies that have poor meshing abilities. It may be that the CAA has taken a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, but if air travellers are safer for it then it is yet another inconvenience to bear.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (6)
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The picnics at the airports need to be stopped. Good decision in limiting people.
Good move it may be, but why is the common man being punished for what is essentially the state's fault of not providing adequate security to its citizens?
In the Karachi Airport attack, terrorists entered the premises dressed as employees of the airport, not as civilians. Also, in the Peshawar attack, the bullets were shot from an area close to the airport, which should have been covered by the security agencies.
The poor people who insist on seeing off their loved ones may well be a hindrance for some of us, but all of these attacks certainly didn't take place because they like coming to the airport in large numbers.
I think it is an absolutely fantastic move by CAA and should have been done a very long time ago. No need to have thousands of people hanging around
what rubbish...just putting burden on common and creating inconvenience for them
Does it not sound quite ironic that the attackers were carrying ID's and wearing Security forces uniforms but we will secure the airport by blocking relatives who come for that last handshake and or hug.That is exactly the incompetent though process that has put our country where it is today..