The News International
By Ansar Abbasi & Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities suspect that Americans involved in training of the Punjab Police at the Sihala Police College may have been involved in espionage near the Kahuta nuclear site located close by. However, US diplomats strongly deny this.
A credible government source said at least one Pakistani security agency has clearly indicated in its report submitted to the government that the Americans might have installed radiation detection devices at their Anti-Terrorism Assistance Programme (ATAP) camp situated in the college to monitor activities in the Kahuta nuclear site.
“Concerned authorities may be asked for a joint survey of the ATAP Camp by incorporating technical experts to assess if any interception equipment to detect radioactive rays has been installed or not,” the report said.
The report also revealed that following US pressure, the Ministry of Interior vide its letter number 1/41/2003-Police dated June 29 also granted a no objection certificate (NoC) for import of explosive material by the office of the ATAP.
Like the case of Inter-Risk, now banned, the Interior Ministry issued the NoC for the import of explosives without getting any security clearance from the intelligence agencies.
Interestingly, initially the Interior Ministry decided to issue the NoC but it was subject to clearance by two intelligence agencies — the ISI and the IB — which sought clarification about the quantity and type of explosive and detail of courses.
Consequently, the Sihala College administration was approached, which sought details from the ATAP camp. But instead of providing the details, Robert A Clark and Bob of the ATAP Camp contacted the US embassy, which used its influence and managed to get the NoC bypassing the rules.
The ATAP base camp is located just nine kilometres away from the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and housed within the premises of the Sihala college but even the commandant of the college is not allowed to go there. Of late, the US embassy wanted additional space apparently for training purposes but the Punjab government refused to oblige the Americans.
Top authorities in the Punjab government also confirmed to The News that US Ambassador Anne Patterson not only personally met Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif but also wrote to him requesting for additional space at the Sihala college.
They offered additional training to the Punjab Police in the field of firearms and raids. “But we politely refused to offer any additional space,” the source confided to The News, admitting that serious questions are being raised about the presence and conduct of US trainers already present at the Sihala college. A senior spokesman for the Punjab, when approached, confirmed this.
Interestingly, in the last several months no training course for the police officials has been conducted by the ATAP at the college, but American’s presence is well pronounced. Commander of the police academy Nasir Khan Durrani also formally wrote to the top authorities in the Punjab to express his concerns over the activities of the ATAP officials.
Sources also said that US embassy officials were also found visiting the camp quite regularly. They revealed that two Americans working at the Sihala ATAP Camp along with four other Americans of the US embassy were intercepted near Kahuta in July 2009 by security officials of the KRL.
They were detained for 2-3 hours as they could not satisfy the KRL security personnel regarding their visit to the sensitive region.
However, a retired assistant director of the FIA, working with Americans at the ATAP Camp, was sent to take them back who, introducing himself as an FIA officer, freed the Americans and took them back to the camp. The sources disclosed that those Americans along with Pakistani staff riding on 4×4 vehicle, tried to trespass into the restricted area of Kahuta.
The Interior Ministry spokesman was not available to offer any comment on suspected spying of the country’s nuclear programme by Americans or to explain why the Interior Ministry issued an NoC to the Americans for the import of explosive material without getting clearance from security agencies.
The Interior Ministry spokesman, Rashid Mazari, never returns any call from The News. He was contacted by different staffers of The News Investigative Wing during recent weeks but he never responded.
The US embassy spokesman, however, when contacted denied that the US personnel involved in the police training activities at the Sihala Police College were involved in spying of the Khan Research Laboratories. He also denied the installation of monitoring and bugging devices there and explained that the ATAP officials were imparting training to the Pakistan police with the permission of the Government of Pakistan. When further probed, he said, “I don’t know where your story is going.” He added, “The key point that I emphasize here is that all things are being done with the (permission of) Government of Pakistan”.
When asked about the suspected installation of radiation detection devices there, he said, “I am not aware of any radiation detection devices there. There must be some bomb detection equipment for the Pakistani police.”
At one point, he asked The News correspondent, “Do you seriously think that the Government of Pakistan is going to allow us to install radiation detection devices there? Of course not, so I hope that I am not going to read tomorrow that you are going to write.”
He added that the Government of Pakistan was intimately involved and suggested The News to speak to the official spokesman of the Interior Ministry.
When asked about the reported trespassing of American officials and diplomats, he said he was neither aware of it nor had heard anything about it. He explained that the Pakistani diplomats in the US could travel anywhere without any restriction. On the contrary, the United States diplomats have to inform the Government of Pakistan when they desire to travel outstation. “Your diplomats don’t have to do this.”
Meanwhile, the US embassy while responding to a report on Tuesday expressed disappointment at media reports claiming that the Sihala law-enforcement training facility was being used to train foreigners on Pakistani soil.
“The report was factually incorrect and mischievous. The 512 Pakistani police officials who have trained at Sihala could easily set the record straight,” the embassy clarified in a statement published in the newspapers on Wednesday.
It said the US, since 2003, had helped train federal and provincial police officials in a variety of counter-terrorism measures at Sihala. The embassy stated the Pakistan government had proposed using the Sihala training facility, adding there was no “monitoring” equipment located at the facility.
It said that the administration of the Punjab Police College has repeatedly visited the facility, and added that the current commandant has complete, unrestricted access to the facility and all the personnel trained at the facility are Pakistani law enforcement personnel and no foreigners are trained there.
Source: US embassy rejects misuse of Sihala college facility
If only fraction of what is mentioned in the above report is correct, this is a wakeup call for the GoP and the GHQ.
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