KARACHI, Aug 7: The government has decided, in principle, to establish a Special Investigation Group (SIG) in the Federal Investigation Agency to counter terrorism and sectarian violence.

Sources in the interior ministry told Dawn on Wednesday that the SIG would initially comprise 50 personnel, including over 35 investigating agents, who would be drawn from the FIA, federal and provincial police departments and the Intelligence Bureau.

They said that all provinces would be given proper representation in the SIG for better liaison.

The sources said that the new role of the FIA was aimed at evolving a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy at the federal level.

The sources said that initially over Rs110 million was proposed to be allocated for the SIG and the proposal was being examined by the finance division.

They said the SIG would coordinate with all other law- enforcement agencies, which would provide ready assistance to the FIA.

The SIG agents, they said, would focus their efforts on the identification and location of the “most wanted” terrorist groups and individuals so that their financial resources could be blocked and their leadership and network broken.

Sources said the SIG agents would be empowered to arrest and prosecute the terrorists, already named in the FIRs. The terrorists had so far taken benefit from the lacunas arising out of the division of responsibilities between various law- enforcement and intelligence agencies on functional or regional jurisdiction basis, the sources explained.

They said the agents, who would be given standardized training and equipment, would also monitor the movement and activities of the suspected terrorist groups and individuals.

The SIG, sources said, would assist the provincial police in combating serious inter-provincial crimes, such as carjacking and smuggling of arms and chemicals used in explosive devices.

Another objective of the SIG, they said, was to combat organized crime having trans-national ramifications.

They said all other investigation arms of the FIA, including the National Central Bureau of Interpol, would assist the SIG in local and trans-national cases.

The Economic Crime Wing would assist the SIG in investigation into money laundering through banks, financial institutions and offshore accounts, maintained by the suspected individuals and groups.

The SIG would interact with the immigration wing of the FIA to control the entry into and exit from Pakistan of suspected and “known” terrorists.

The crime wings of the FIA would help the SIG investigate cash flows to and from suspected groups and individuals through illegal monetary transactions such as hundi and hawala.

They said the newly-created Cyber Crime Wing would also assist the SIG.

Moreover, the sources said, the SIG would have a strong legal cell to monitor the cases right from the trial court level to the appeals level in the higher courts as many a convicted terrorist got off thorough appeals.

The FIA DG would have funds at his disposal for the SIG to engage prosecutors to pursue cases up to the highest courts of the country.

The sources said the SIG would be headed by a police officer of the rank of deputy inspector-general.