KARACHI, Feb 5: The metropolis, which has an average of one bomb call (hoax) per day and where bomb blasts are witnessed with a regular frequency, lacks a well-equipped bomb disposal unit to deal with such emergencies.

The bomb disposal squad of police was under staffed, ill- equipped and often seemed to lack expertise even to assess the amount and types of explosive used in an act of terrorism, said a senior police official requesting anonymity.

Following the demise of the most seasoned explosive expert, Mr Moinuddin, the former chief of the bomb disposal squad working under the Civil Defence department, the police had not been able to find his replacement, remarked a senior police official.

Though not part of the police, late Moinuddin was a staffer of Civil Defence department, the sole beneficiary of his outstanding expertise was Karachi police.

Following his death in 2001, the bomb disposal unit was shifted to the police department as an effort to reorganize it.

With limited funds, the bomb disposal squad has a strength of 10 officers, including one inspector, four sub-inspectors, three assistant sub-inspectors, two constables and eight drivers. The squad is headed by DIG Special Branch.

"The squad has just recently been given only one police mobile. If the mobile is engaged with a call, we do get another vehicle to respond to other calls. Despite such handicaps, we reach the spot within some time," claimed an official of the bomb disposal squad.

As far as equipment is concerned, the squad has eight bomb detectors - each costing around Rs0.5 million. Out of these, four detectors have been given for the Chief Minister House and VIP security duties.

Finally, the squad is left with four bomb detectors, which are brought to use to attend bomb calls in the city, divulged an official of the squad.

Moreover, the squad had one bomb blanket and some bomb suits, but, carrying them along and using them at the spots was a sheer hassle and time consuming, remarked another official.

About training, the official said that the Civil Defence office located in Gulshan-i-Iqbal gave training on the first course of bomb reconnaissance. For rest of the two bomb disposal and improvised explosive devise courses, the officials have to move to the Civil Defence Academy Lahore, he added.

He said that almost the entire bomb unit team had done the basic course training, except one or two officers, who had undergone all the three courses.

Requesting anonymity, an officer of the bomb disposal unit said that nobody was willing to join the squad, as it was a risky job with no attraction attached.

"There is no incentive at the squad, no hazard allowance for the men who are risking their lives to save others, besides a policeman posted at the unit even cannot generate an additional income like his other comrades," remarked an official of the unit.

He said the bomb unit received one bomb call daily on an average, which usually proves to be a hoax. However, he said that each call was treated seriously.

In a recent seizure of a huge quantity of explosive in Mehmoodabad, where the raiding party discovered a variety of explosives, the bomb disposal squad was seen at the sidelines.

A visit to the spot showed that the bomb disposal squad of police kept on waiting for several hours after the seizure. Around 2:30am, the experts from army and navy reached the spot and the explosives were defused next morning in open grounds near Hino Chowrangi. The bomb disposal squad of the Pakistan Navy is considered to be the best in their field.

In another recent incident occurred in the premises of Quaid's mausoleum, the bomb disposal squad experts were reportedly baffled by an anti-theft device placed in a motorcycle.

The area police was informed that a beep sound was coming from a motorcycle parked in the premises of mausoleum. The police cleared the area from visitors and called the bomb disposal squad.

One of the squad officials confirmed the presence of some explosive device in the vehicle. He advised the police to shift the motorcycle from the premises. However, a police official called a mechanic to check if it was a beep of anti-theft device. The mechanic disconnected the wires, which killed the beeping sound.

It may also be recalled here that in the US consulate bombing, it was initially ascertained that the bomb device was planted in the vehicle belonging to a motor training school. It was only after the investigations carried out by the FIB officials it was established that a pickup truck was used in the bombings.

The FBI experts also established through their investigations that a fertilizer bomb was used in the consulate explosion. During the entire episode, the role of the bomb disposal squad was hard to find, remarked a police official.

Referring to the Mehmoodabad cache of explosives, an official of the bomb disposal squad of police told Dawn that their unit lacked manpower who could have handled the situation.

Following the initial assessment of the cache, the unit had reported it to the inspector-general of police, who requested for the help of the naval team, he added.