PESHAWAR, Feb 11: Police in the sensitive southern district of Tank have given up checking the movement of militants from the adjoining South Waziristan tribal region saying the force is ill-equipped and lacks resources, informed sources said.

“We are not in a position to stop the movement of infiltrators from the tribal area as they have much more sophisticated weapons as compared to what the police have,” said an official requesting not to be named.

He said that state of the police force in Tank district was substantially weak, and the poorly-equipped force with only semi-automatic rifles was unable to respond to security problems.

“Armed with Chinese rifles, we have only 250 policemen for the entire Tank district. The police don’t have a single armoured personnel carrier and bomb disposal squad in the district. On the other hand, militants have rocket-propelled launchers and heavy weapons,” said an officer dealing with security situation in the area.

Portraying bleak picture of the security situation in the southern parts of the province, the official remarked: “We (police) are the immediate target and officials sitting in Peshawar and Islamabad do not visualise the situation in Tank.”

He complained that district authorities had been asking the provincial government to send reinforcements and weapons, but no body paid attention.

“Unless Tank is properly secured, other settled districts will remain insecure,” he argued.The sources said that police had stopped night patrolling in Tank while makeshift checkpoints set up on various routes had been vacated due to the security risk. Several NGOs had closed down offices and stopped field activities in Tank in view of the prevailing threat, he added.

They said militants frequently moved between settled and tribal areas and paramilitary forces deployed on the boundaries did not deliver their duties.

They said paramilitary forces had confined their movement to barracks, thus giving free hand to infiltrators.

Masood Afridi, Deputy Inspector General of Dera Ismail Khan police range, which includes Tank and DI Khan districts, told Dawn that he requested the provincial government to provide fresh arsenal and police force.

“We need guns, bullet-proof jackets, armoured personnel carriers and additional force to enhance mobility and capability of the police to effectively control situation in the area,” he said.

He informed that security plan for the region had been reviewed in accordance with the emerging situation, and provincial government had been requested to provide weapons, ammunition and equipment to police.

According to the list, police required 500 bullet-proof jackets, six armoured personnel carriers, 32 rocket-launchers, 700 AK-47 rifles, 300 G-3 guns, 70 sniffer guns, 285 semi-automatic China rifles, 35 long-range machine guns, 55 pistols, 70 binoculars, five kits of bomb disposal, night vision equipment and contingents of the Frontier Reserve Police (FRP).

Mr Afridi said that the provincial government had directed recruitment of 160 constables to increase strength of the police in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts where militants had been increasing their movement and influence.

“But I have proposed to them to provide Frontier Reserve Police,” he said.

According to information gathered from official sources and locals, the administration has virtually lost control in the remote Tank district due to frequent infiltration of the militants from the troubled South Waziristan Agency. Armed gangs are gradually expanding their activities to Bannu and Lakki Marwat and are on the rampage.

A security official said that the districts bordering the tribal areas required a comprehensive security plan, and about 30 entry points between South Wasiristan and the districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank needed to be properly manned.