Sana Aijazi

The foreigners affiliated with the private military contractor Blackwater / Xe Worldwide LLC arrived at Islamabad Airport on Tuesday November 4, 2009 through a PIA flight. “Of the 274 passengers, who boarded Pakistan’s national flag carrier-PIA, flight PK-786 from Heathrow Airport UK, 202 were foreigners but they were fluently speaking Urdu language,” disclosed the sources.

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A main intelligence agency has issued a fresh terror threat warning to the departments concerned, naming some individuals and security establishments in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

According to the warning, CIA and RAW funded talibans might target a senior journalist of Lahore, and a prominent moderate religious scholar who appears on Geo TV, an official said, requesting anonymity.

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Some key leaders of several jehadi and sectarian organisations, including a jailed militant, were flown from Lahore, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan to the garrison town of Rawalpindi on special flights to hold talks with the hostage takers who had stormed the GHQ building on October 10, 2009.

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Islamabad: The interior ministry has issued directives to Police to seize unlicensed weapons from foreigners, if they are found displaying even licensed weapons in any part of the country. It has also advised foreigners not to carry unlicensed weapons and avoid unnecessary display.

The directives have come after several complains regarding DynCorp and suspected Blackwater personnel carrying unlicensed weapons in the streets of Islamabad and Peshawar.

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The federal police conducted a search operation against several security companies in different sectors of Islamabad after recovery of illegal arms from the house of an owner of a security company and arrested three security guards.

According to sources, the late night operation was conducted by the police after getting red signal from the interior ministry.

The late night raids on other security companies were made after large cache of arms were seized from a company providing security to US diplomats. The police during the raid inquired about details of licenses of arms.

Kohsar Police has also arrested three security guards of security company on suspicion.

Sources told that the Interior Ministry after recovering of illegal arms in huge quantity from the owner of house of Inter-Risk Security Company has decided to conduct a survey of hiring 200 residential buildings by US embassy. Sources said that the decision has been taken to know objectives behind hiring these houses.

Meanwhile US Embassy spokesman Rick Snelsire said the US contract with Inter-Risk to provide security at the embassy and consulates took effect this year. It is believed to be the first US contract for the firm, Snelsire said. He did not know how long the contract was for or what it was worth.

“Our understanding is they obtained licenses with whatever they brought into the country to meet the contractual needs,’’ he said. “We told the government that we had a contract with Inter-Risk.’’

A man who answered the phone number listed for the company and identified himself as Riaz Hussain said a raid had occurred, but gave no more information.

According to Inter-Risk’s website, it was first formed in 1988 and offers wireless home alarm systems as well as security guards and other services.

Though the US Embassy in Islamabad does have American security staff, much of the work is done by local workers. At checkpoints and gates leading to the embassy compound, for instance, Pakistani security guards inspect vehicles and log in visitors.

Scandals involving private contractors have dogged the United States in the Middle East and South Asia.

In Washington on Friday, the Commission on Wartime Contracting heard testimony about another contractor – ArmorGroup North America – involving alleged illegal and immoral conduct by its guards at the US Embassy in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, the Iraqi government refused to grant Xe Services – the new name for what was once Blackwater – an operating license amid continued outrage over a 2007 lethal firefight involving some of its employees in Baghdad, although the State Department has temporarily extended a contract with a Xe subsidiary to protect US diplomats in Iraq.

Many of the recent rumors in Pakistan have been prompted by US plans to expand its embassy space and staff.

Among the other unsubstantiated stories the United States denies: that 1,000 US Marines will land in the capital, and that Americans will set up a Guantanamo-style prison.

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Police raided Inter-Risk, a Pakistani security firm owned by Captain (Retd.) Ali Zaidi, in Islamabad that helps protect the U.S. Embassy. 64 assault rifles and 30 pistols, all unlicensed were seized and two people were arrested. The incident follows a series of scandals surrounding American use of private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The raid on two offices of the Inter-Risk company is especially sensitive because of a slew of recent rumors and media reports that U.S. embassy expansion plans in Pakistan include hiring the security firm formerly known as Blackwater.

Police official Rana Akram said that two Inter-Risk employees were arrested and being questioned. He said authorities were also seeking the company’s owner, Captain (Retd.) Ali Zaidi, a retired Pakistani army captain.