RAWALPINDI, Nov 23: The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) on Friday received a bomb disposal vehicle equipped with latest instruments including a robot that can defuse live bombs.

It may be mentioned that a bomb disposal suit and equipment donated by the US are already lying with the local administration and police.

In January, the European Union provided eight modern bomb disposal vehicles to Pakistan out of which four were given to Punjab and the remaining to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In Punjab, out of the vehicles, one each was given to the city district governments of Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Saqib Zafar, the district coordination officer, and Taiman Raza, the civil defence officer, received the vehicle and handed it over to the Civil Defence Organisation. The vehicle is equipped with a robotic bomb disposal hand, bomb protection suit, water cannon, x-ray machine, tool kits, a bomb blast suppression blanket and visual cameras.

“The blanket is utilised to suppress the blast fragmentations, including ball baring and other material, that can cause damage to human life and property,” said Mr Raza while talking to Dawn.

He said the robot can defuse a live bomb. “Earlier, technicians took the risk of defusing the bomb but with the induction of the robot they would get the x-ray of the bomb to detect the fuse and explosive material’s nature and destroy it from a distance of 100 metres,” he said.

“The use of the water cannon to defuse a bomb is a new method. Water will be sprayed on the explosive material from a distance of 100 metres,” he said.

The official said he along with a bomb disposal technician had got training from Lahore to operate the vehicle. “We will train the other three-member staff of Civil Defence,” he said.

When asked can the vehicle help track down a suicide bomber, the official answered in the negative.

The DCO said the vehicle had been made functional to make it available on the occasion of the main Muharram processions.