RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) is undergoing training in order to operate new dual human body scanners that were installed at the country’s three main airports.

A spokesperson for the ANF said on Friday that the force’s employees are becoming proficient in using the new machines. “After analysing its results, the deployment of these scanners may extend to other airports as well,” he added.

He said the new machines have been installed in international departure lounges to start with, and will soon be made operational.

According to the ANF, the new scanners have been installed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport as part of the force’s efforts to curb drug trafficking.

The spokesperson said the scanners resemble walk-through gates, and make it possible to detect suspicious objects, including drugs or other materials that have been ingested or concealed under fabric. The machine is efficient and less time-consuming than examining passengers.

He said the scanners were not hazardous and would not infringe on the privacy of passengers. As a passenger walks through the scanner, a scan from head to toe will be seen by a machine operator, and the machine will highlight any objects that are either concealed or swallowed but cannot indicate what that object is.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2016