KARACHI, Feb 7: Instead of taking on terrorists in situations like the recent Shah Latif Town shootout, anti-terrorist commandos, an elite group of the Sindh police, perform escort duties for the president, ministers and other VIPs, it has emerged.

Every year a batch of the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) passes out from the Razzakabad police training college, but these men end up whiling away their time on Sharea Faisal during the president’s movement, or their services are lent for the security of federal and provincial ministers.

The ill-equipped investigation police and their Special Investigation Unit (SIU) faced a tough time and lost two of their men against the suspected militants of Jundullah, who fought like professional fighters applying all “combatant techniques”.

The SIU officer who had planned the raid after having the credible tip-off by an informer did not expect such a stiff resistance, but anticipating an unusual situation, took 50 personnel along.

The Bin Qasim SP told Dawn that he learnt about the shootout when Inspector Dhari was killed. SP Latif Siddiqui said the area police were not taken into confidence, but when things went out of the raiding party’s control, he received a message that his team’s help might be needed.

Already short of bullet-proof vests, the raiding party once engaged with the militants made SOS calls for the provision of an armoured personnel carrier. The APC arrived at the scene at around 7pm and it was employed to advance to the gate of the house occupied by the militants.

During the shootout, Inspector Asghar Dhari suffered a fatal bullet wound in the chest and died before he could be driven to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The slain police officer was taking part in the raid without wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Head Constable Raja Tariq suffered the same fate in the three-hour-long gun battle on Jan 29. He was the first fatality in the shootout.

City police chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui denied that there was a shortage of bullet-proof vests. “It is often the personal preference of a police officer whether or not to wear a bullet-proof vest,” Mr Siddiqui said.

The militants acted like well-trained combatants and two of them present inside the house kept police engaged while four of their accomplices escaped from the back side of the house soon after the encounter began. The militants escaped before the sunset and not under the cover of darkness.

Following the gun battle caretaker Home Minister Brigadier Akhtar Zamin told the media that Rangers were backing up the police.

The suspects’ escape from the house and snatching of a car suggested that the house was not properly cordoned by law enforcement officials, and there were serious lapses on the part of the raiding police party and the backup Rangers force, pointed out a senior anti-terrorist expert.

The wireless message on police control had only passed on the three digits of the red Corolla registration plate, saying that the car’s occupants were dangerous.

“They simply didn’t just run away from the house but were heavily armed. Each of them was carrying an AK-47 rifle and 300 rounds in addition to several hand grenades,” the expert said. “Had they not been confronted at Landhi 89 by Landhi SP Azad Khan and his escort, the four militants had almost made it.”

The Landhi SP had only one bullet-proof vest at his disposal. He told his guard to wear it, an officer assisting the SP said.

“Following the usual practice, the Landhi SP and his escort mobile van could have easily taken on the militants from behind. Instead, they dashed their car from the left, prompting a shootout,” an officer of the Landhi police station said.

“Training is taken very casually in the police department here. There is no focus on professional training, and a person (police official) who wants a trip to Islamabad is usually sent, or opts, for a training course rather than his professional urge,” observed an Islamabad-based officer of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division.

The United States Department of Justice Criminal Division/ICITAP had conducted different training courses for the Pakistani police for professional development of junior and senior officers.

Quoting a recent instance, an officer said on the condition of anonymity that his department planned to conduct a training course for the investigators, but senior officers were refusing to send their investigators for training, making the forthcoming general election an excuse for it.

“What does a professional police investigator have to do with election duty?” the officer said.

Training programmes for ASPs and above officers are held at the National Police Academy and tactical courses for inspectors and ASIs are offered at the Sihala police training college.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that a good investigator also possesses the skills to take on the well-trained terrorists,” the US officer said.

“We have seen that generally Pakistani police officers shy away from wearing bullet-proof vests. It seems that there is a false notion that brave officers don’t wear the vests, which is highly unprofessional and childish attitude,” the officer remarked.

In reply to a question, city police chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui agreed that there should be a dedicated response unit to tackle situations like the Shah Latif Town encounter. He said the Anti-Terrorist Force was present, but a quick-response unit was not at hand.

However, he said, most of the time information was sudden and there were chances that the target might move and escape.

He admitted that there was a need for better coordination between different agencies in situations like the Shah Latif Town gun battle.