RAWALPINDI: Dual human body scanners have been installed at two major airports in Pakistan, in order to detect firearms, explosives and drugs, as well as metals concealed under fabric or swallowed or hidden inside the human body.

One Braun-i-Scan dual human body scanner was installed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), and the other at Allama Iqbal International Airport (AAIIP) in Lahore, by the Anti-Narcotices Force (ANF) on Tuesday. According to an ANF spokesperson, a third scanner will be installed at Quaid-i-Azam International Airport in Karachi.

Each scanner cost $160,000, and installation and freight charges for the three scanners came to $5,000 and $2,000, respectively, the spokesperson said. He said the scanners were donated by Saudi Arabia.

According to the spokesperson, the full body scanner will make it possible to detect any suspicious objects, including drugs – which are usually smuggled in the shape of capsules.

The scanner will take around 15 seconds to scan a passenger, as the individual has to stop and wait for the process to be completed.

The spokesperson said the individual being scanned has to pass through the machine, similar to how a walk-through gate is used. When an individual passes through the scanner, their body is scanned from head to toe and the scan, seen by the machine operator, will indicate if an object is hidden inside the body.

The spokesperson said that while the scanner can highlight something of concern, it cannot indicate whether the object is a weapon, a metallic object or drugs, unless the individual is searched.

“No such scanner can be installed which will raise questions about the privacy of a traveller or have a risk of radiation emission,” he said.

The spokesperson said the scanner was installed at the ANF counter in BBIA’s international departures lounge, while the other was installed in the AAIIP departure lounge.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2016

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