In an attempt to prevent any more attacks on airplanes landing at Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA), the police and Masho Khel, Masho Gagar and Badhaber aman lashkars have started jointly patrolling several villages within the jurisdiction of Badhaber police.
A police official told The Express Tribune on Friday the decision was taken following an attack on a Russian cargo aircraft on August 31 seconds before it landed. Militants reportedly opened fire at the plane from Sheikh Muhammadi village; no casualties occurred.
The Jamaatul Ahrar, a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan breakaway group, later claimed responsibility for the attack on the cargo plane. The Civil Aviation Authority, however, has denied that the attack happened.
Community policing
According to the police official, four teams have been formed and tasked with patrolling particular areas at night. “Members of local aman lashkars have been included in the patrol teams as they are familiar with the area,” he said.
He added the teams will guard four points, including Garhi Mali Khel, Shahab Khel and Akhund Salak Baba graveyard, from where the last attacks on airplanes were carried out. The policeman maintained security forces have been deployed in Masho Khel to ensure militants do not enter the district from Khyber Agency but there were still a lot of unguarded routes which outlaws are using to enter Peshawar unnoticed.
A renewed strategy
Masho Gagar Aman Lashkar chief Mukamil Shah said the need to take up regular patrolling was felt because manning stationary check posts failed to yield the desired results.
“We have provided volunteers to the local police to help them in night patrols,” added Shah.
According to Shah, militants shot at the Russian aircraft from a graveyard in Badhaber. “This is the area where an aircraft flies at a lower altitude shortly before it lands at BKIA; militants take advantage of the plane’s proximity and attack it,” said Shah.
The suburbs of Mattani and Badhaber are among the district’s most militancy-affected areas. Locals say militants have been roaming freely in the area in the past week. “There are at least a dozen militants on bikes who come and go to Sheikhan,” said an elder. “They want to draw the attention of the police but police have confined themselves to their post.”
Official response
Officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have dismissed reports that a Russian plane was shot at before it landed at the airport.
A CAA official told The Express Tribune the recording of the conversation between the plane’s pilot and Air Traffic Control (ATC) did not include any mention of the reported attack.
Similarly, BKIA Manager Tahir Sikandar said the management spoke to the ATC and heard the recording of the exchange between the pilot and ATC. But, Sikandar added, there was no mention of the shooting and the pilot did not report any such incident to the CAA.
Another CAA official said the aviation authority was satisfied with security arrangements in and outside the airport, which were beefed up after a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane was shot at on June 24. A passenger was killed and two others were injured in the shooting.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2014.
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