RAWALPINDI: The delivery of 19 ‘Muhafiz’ bomb and bullet proof armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Airport Security Force (ASF) has been delayed for want of trained staff to operate them.

Designed on the pattern of American armoured personnel carrier, the ‘Muhafiz’ had been manufactured at Heavy Mechnical Complex, Taxila. They will be deployed at seven airports of the country,.

Although three vehicles have been handed over to the ASF staff at BBIA, they had no trained men to operate it right now.

The federal government had already released funds for the purchase of 19 Muhafiz armoured personnel carriers in line with the demand submitted by the ASF.

The four APC vehicles which are for internal security were demanded for Jinnah International Airport Karachi; the same number of vehicles was demanded by Allama Iqbal International Airport.

The ASF will get three APC vehicles for Benazir Bhutto International Airport, two vehicles each for Quetta, Sialkot, Peshawar and Multan.

A senior security official said the delivery of vehicles was delayed as the ASF did not have trained personnel to handle them.

He said a first batch of 15 ASF personnel associated with BBIA would be sent to Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila for 15-day training while another batch of 10 personnel each from Karachi and Lahore will be sent later.

After completing the training, the ASF personnel will go through another round of training at the ASF camps before being deployed with the security vehicles.

The Muhafiz vehicle is a fast moving vehicle which cannot be hit from outside as it is bomb and bullet proof.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2014