ISLAMABAD, May 11: The government decided on Saturday to raise a special investigation force and arm it with latest equipment for combating terrorism in the country.

The decision for raising the force on an emergency basis was taken at a meeting presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, here at Aiwan-i-Sadar, Interior Secretary Tasnim Noorani told Dawn.

The meeting reviewed the law and order situation in detail and felt the need for improving investigation as well as intelligence gathering capacity of the law enforcement agencies.

The interior secretary, who gave a detailed presentation to the meeting about the counter-terrorism measures being adopted by the law enforcement agencies and also about the areas which needed to be strengthened, said that the meeting noted a change in the pattern of terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

In view of the new techniques being adopted by terrorists, particularly the suicide attacks, the meeting decided that there should be a special unit for prevention and investigations of such acts of terrorism.

The proposed Central Investigation Unit (CIU) would be set up by drawing the most capable officers from the law enforcement agencies. This unit would be equipped with latest available technology.

Members of this force would be sent to the United States, France, Japan and Britain for extensive training, he added.

The interior secretary said that a strict criterion for selection of officers and staff to be inducted into the new unit would be adopted and those selected would be given special incentives in terms of foreign training and other facilities.

Although, no timeframe had been specified by the meeting, it directed the authorities to accomplish the task within minimum possible time, he said.

The meeting, he added, also decided to establish a forensic laboratory at the federal level and revamp the existing laboratories at provincial Central Intelligence Departments (CIDs) by providing them latest equipment.

The forensic laboratory at the federal level would be initially set up in a hired building till a building specially designed for such a high-tech laboratory is constructed, he added.

About the ongoing crack-down on extremist groups, the interior secretary said that the government had carefully prepared a list of extremists in consultation with all the four provincial governments and in light of recommendation of the intelligence agencies.

So far, 383 activists, who have been placed in “Category A” had been rounded up from the four provinces, he added.

Mr Noorani said that only those who had been allegedly organizing or funding terrorist or extremist groups had been placed in “Category A”.

“We are not just arresting operatives but the real culprits,” he added.

As regards foreign assistance sought by the government in the wake of Karachi incident, he said that their response had been very encouraging.

“We will first raise the force and than we will ask for training and equipment,” he added.

The meeting was attended by all the four provincial governors, Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen Yousaf, Law Minister Dr Khalid Ranjha, Corps Commanders of Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi and provincial chief secretaries and heads of an intelligence agency.