KARACHI, Jan 17: Police authorities have set up an ‘Anti-Extremism Cell’, which has primarily been entrusted with the task of gathering intelligence regarding individuals and groups involved in promoting hate ideology through different means, along with information about migrants pouring into the city from strife-hit parts of the country.

The police action emerged in line with the government policy to check extremism within the ranks of different political parties and religious outfits and at the same time the cell’s mandate also addresses the concerns of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan People’s Party’s coalition partner in Sindh, which had expressed concern over the migration of people from the northern parts of Pakistan into Karachi, fleeing the conflict under way between militants and the Pakistan Army in their native areas.

“The cell has been created under the Special Branch of the police organisational structure,” said a source privy to the recent developments. “An SP (superintendent of police) rank officer would head this cell with two DSPs (deputy superintendents of police) under its command to run the 100-men strong specialised unit. The authorities have already appointed SP Arshad Kamal Kayani to command the cell, issuing a notification in this regard last week.”

Primarily, the source added, the cell had been tasked to gather information based on intelligence about activities of different groups in parts of the city so the law-enforcers could move to avert any untoward incident.

“The city has experienced a sharp upsurge in the number of people migrating from different parts of the country for different reasons,” said the source citing the terms of reference for the Anti-Extremism Cell.

“The cell will be responsible for keeping an eye on migrants from the tribal areas along as well as aliens from different countries. For the migrants from within the country, it would keep the police wing concerned updated and similarly, it would take Nara (National Aliens Registration Authority) on board for the aliens.”

The cell – the first of its kind within the police structure – seems to have been assigned multiple tasks under its command: on the one hand, it is to focus on sectarianism and extremism, and, on the other, it also addresses the MQM’s concerns over migration into Karachi, mainly from the Swat and Waziristan areas.

Insiders say the Muttahida leadership had expressed its concerns in this regard even in meetings with the president and prime minister, which apparently inspired the provincial authorities, who initially agreed to bring the police into the loop while registering aliens through Nara, and now had set up a dedicated cell to monitor migrants from the tribal areas.

Sources said intelligence gathering concerning migrants from Fata was part of the cell’s job in broader terms. However, this did not necessarily mean treating the country’s own citizens with suspicion.

“One should not take it in a negative sense,” said the source. “Their (Anti-Extremism Cell’s) job would also include monitoring activities of sectarian organisations, religious outfits and obviously (anyone involved in any) kind of extremism regardless of their links to religious groups,” he said.

“The cell is also responsible to check the release and distribution of hate materials or contents through different sources in their respective areas. This would help restrict and root out such activities before they expand.”

The addition of another specialised unit in the police department is likely to ease the workload on an already understaffed and resource-starved force, but the performance and output of such cells always remains questionable in the public eye. But the authorities defend the recent initiative claiming that the results are not always for public consumption.“Under the AVCC (Anti-Violent Crime Cell), ACLC (Anti-Car Lifting Cell), CID (Crime Investigation Department) or SIU (Specialized Investigation Unit) there are several achievements but they do not always come on the record,” said a senior official. “Most of the time the police move on solid intelligence information and manage to avert planned incidents. This is what we require the most and the Anti-Extremism Cell will serve the same purpose.”