RAWALPINDI, April 8: After recent threats to Benazir Bhutto International Airport and Nur Khan Base in Rawalpindi, the Punjab Special Branch conducted a security check and discovered numerous loopholes, security lapses and vulnerabilities.

"If your airport is not secured," said a security official," the security of your airplanes is also at risk." The Special Branch has recommended that local authorities and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) review the security plan and take all possible security measures to avoid any mishaps.

A copy of the report was sent two weeks ago by the Additional Inspector General of the Special Branch, in Lahore, to Muhammad Zubair, Regional Police Officer in Rawalpindi, for coordination with the CAA and the Airport Security Force. Security officials say arrangements have been strengthened in light of the report and the prevailing situation.

The inquiry found that existing airport watchtowers were both substandard and inadequate. Because they are located within the boundary wall, security guards cannot properly monitor movement beyond the wall. New towers are being built, but they are placed at longer intervals, making eye contact between guards impossible.

The Special Branch has also recommended that the airport deploy a permanent explosives detection unit or bomb disposal unit. The airport should also ensure that sniffer dogs can be made available when needed, it recommended.

The PIA cargo shed has also been found improperly secured; the report terms its preparations “miserable”. Cargo is dispatched by private cargo agencies and agents without proper clearance or scanning; the agencies simply submit a certificate regarding the security of material being loaded into aircrafts.

In addition, no guards are deployed on the cargo shed's roof, which is located alongside the heavily-trafficked Airport Road.

The report also quotes CAA staff as saying that "several incidents of theft, robbery, kidnapping and murder had taken place in and around the airport area.” The Special Branch recommended that police monitor the activities of nearby residents placed on the fourth-schedule of the Anti-Terrorist Act, and the comings and goings of the general populace.

The brick wall on the Rawal Road side has also been found in poor condition. The team discovered many holes under the perimeter fence, through which unlawful entry was easily possible.

The inadequate barriers are not limited to the walls and partitions. The sewerage drain from Khurram Colony, with a radius of 6.6 feet, passes below the airport runway - as evidenced by the presence of flammable and raw materials - and can easily be entered by a person. The iron rods intended to deter sabotage and entry are broken, the report continues.

"The drain should be shifted somewhere else," it suggests, recommending that details and architectural drawings be obtained from the Rawalpindi Development Authority.

The airport's location poses other risks as well. The runways used for takeoff and landing are exposed to the Lalyal and Kuri Roads, and are in range of shoulder-fired rockets and small arms. Because shifting the roads or providing an underpass would take time, the report urges establishing permanent police and ASF checkpoints.

Within the ASF camp, a public school is currently open for business. Terming it a security hazard, the Special Branch recommends shifting it outside the boundary walls and putting up a fence to segregate the ASF camp.

The report also recommends turning to the Intelligence Bureau, Crime Investigation Department, Special Branch and local police on a regular basis to obtain security clearances for the imams and muezzins of the two mosques on Lalyal Road. This would ensure that no dangerous activities take place in the area.