December 12, 2008	Friday	Zilhaj 13, 1429

PESHAWAR, Dec 11: Inadequate fire fighting facilities and lack of prompt action by the fire brigade of the City District Government caused much of the damage at the transit parking facility for Nato attacked by militants early this week, an official source said.

“It was a comedy of errors”, the official privy to the investigation into the twin attack on so-called terminals told Dawn.

The two attacks on Faisal Terminal and Bilal Terminal on the 7th and 8th of December by militants operating in neighbouring Khyber tribal region damaged 227 trucks and containers.

“The damage was considerable but it could have been significantly reduced if we had adequate fire fighting facilities”, the official said.

A committee formed to investigate the incidents has submitted its findings to the federal government.

The official, who was part of the committee, revealed that the fire brigade was too slow to react and then the two small fire tenders sent in to douse the fire had to be refilled time and again.

Some containers, according to the investigators, contained combustible chemical that was too difficult to put out with water. “In some strange ways, water triggers further fire that’s why some of the containers continue to simmer and occasionally flare up”, the official said.

He said that the police initially needed authorisation from the US Consulate to open these containers and later had to drill holes into it to pump water into them to put out the fire.

As if this was not enough, Wapda did the rest to contribute to the raging fire by switching off power supply as part of its so-called load management.

The official said that just when water engines were sent for refill, power supply went off, suspending water supply.

“We had to make frantic calls to Wapda authorities to restore power supply to enable the fire brigade to refill”, the official said. In such a situation, said the official, those involved in the operation required foam bowsers but there was only one available with the Pakistan Air force and getting the permission for it was not easy.

Investigators have also highlighted the role of private security firms involved in guarding the so-called terminals used for parking Nato containers.

The official revealed that transport and shipping companies engaged by Nato for its logistic supply did not have adequate security arrangements, although they charged Rs57,000 per containers from the shipper.

“There are just one or two guards to look after the logistics”, the official said, “while the companies charge Rs57,000 per container from Nato.”

At Faisal Terminal, for instance, the official said, there were only four guards from a private security firm armed with only shotguns.

Even the so-called terminals, investigators found out, were no better than a mere parking facility without any proper terminal facilities including security and cranes to remove containers.

“Some of these terminals have been set up in the open without any boundary wall or proper security”, the official said.

Investigators found out that the terminals had been set up without any clearance from security and law enforcement agencies.

“It has become a very lucrative business and terminals are being set up on the Ring Road without any elaborate security and safety system in place”, the official said.

“There is simply no interaction at any level”, he said.

Authorities have now slapped notices on the owners of these terminals to arrange for cranes to lift and remove containers in the event of any arson or attack by militants.

To complicate the situation further, all such logistics including military hardware meant for Nato forces in Afghanistan are just dumped into the open while their onward movement remained slow.

The police said that they had deployed 120 men to safeguard the ever-growing number of terminals but it was finding it difficult to do normal policing and fending off militants at the same time.

“Basically, the private security firms who make most of the money need to shoulder the responsibility by providing ample security to safeguards the logistics.”

Additionally, he said that the terminal owners needed to be told to make proper security and safety measures ensuring the availability of necessary machines and tools to meet any future incident.