ISLAMABAD - The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in coordination with the PAF and Pakistan Army, has marked the three joint user airports in Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad under potential terrorist threat while affirming maximum preventive and standby measures having taken at all the airports across Pakistan to thwart any untoward incident.
Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad, Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar and Quetta International Airport are called joint user airports due to the reason that the CAA, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army jointly operate these airports for respective commercial and military aviation purposes.
“Terrorist threats are high at the Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar airports but we are prepared to deal with any untoward situation,” Hamid Gardezi, the CAA’s Principal Director Airport Services (PDAPS) told this journalist on Monday.
Apart from the three international airports, high security alerts have already been issued to the other 40 airports across Pakistan including the international airports of Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad, Gawadar, Panjgoor, Rahim Yar Khan and Bhawalpur as well as the remaining domestic ones, he said.
Gawadar, Punjgoor, Rahimyar Khan and Bhawalpur airports operate international fights from Pakistan to some Middle Eastern and Gulf states and vice versa.
The security forces, Gardezi said, played an effective role in foiling terrorist attack on the PAF Peshawar base. “It would have turned out to be a deadliest terrorist attack had the security forces not responded effectively”.
Some ten Uzbek militants on Saturday had launched rocket attacks to target PAF base located in the premises of Peshawar airport that damaged the airport’s outer wall and killed five people. All the terrorists were killed in shootout with the security forces comprising personnel of Peshawar Police, PAF and Pakistan Army. One security official purportedly lost his life in the operation. 
“The security men showed courage and professionalism by engaging terrorists to create diversion and then hunting them down. This operation reflected the forces’ preparedness and quick response. This has boosted our morale to thwart any terrorist attack,” Hamid Gardezi said adding that flight arrivals and departures at Bacha Khan International Airport were back to routine.
 He cited some official reports and statements from militants regarding attacks on armed forces’ aviation installations, saying, those installations were at higher risk of facing terrorist activity. “That’s why we’ve marked the three airports under highest security risk.”
Talking to The Nation, The CAA’s General Manager (Security) Haider Abbas said, the PAF and army commandos, Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel and the local police are providing security at the Joint User airports while ASF, police and paramilitary troops from Rangers and Frontier Corps (FC) are overseeing security measures at the remaining international and domestic airports. “The airports where military and commercial aviation activities are carried out simultaneously have multiple-tier security arrangements. This doesn’t mean that we on the civilian side are not ready. We’re aware of the gravity of situation and have made adequate arrangements accordingly.  By default, the arrangements come into operational phase in response to any extra ordinary situation pertaining to security. I think our airports are safe and secure and we’re capable of facing challenges.”
After an attack on PAF Kamra base in August this year, the CAA had put its airports on red alert on August 16. The Nation brought to light this development on August 18.
Of the total 43 airports, the CAA has downscaled 11 airports as non-operational due to unavailability of passengers for domestic or international flights. Six airports in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are partially operational with highly limited number of flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) whereas rest of the 26 airports are fully operational. The non-operational airports comprise those located in remote areas of Balochistan and KP including Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Jewani and Khuzdar. Reportedly, ‘skeleton’ staff in minimum strength is performing duties at the non-operational airports but security measures remain intact at both functional and non-functional airports.
Following Saturday attack, the PAF said in a statement that the security alert was raised on the PAF air bases. Reportedly, all the 17 PAF bases including 11 flying and six non-flying bases are on red-alert with highest security alerts issued for the PAF flying bases in Kamra (Attock), Chaklala (Rawalpindi), Samungli (Quetta), Mushaf (Sargodha) and Peshawar while non-flying bases in Kalabagh (Abbottabad), Kohat, Malir (Karachi) and Lahore are also facing imminent threat.
“Attacks, they can happen anywhere,” Hamid Gardezi, the Principal Director said. The other day, a crazy man took 27 innocent lives in United States,” he referred to the last week killings of 21 children and six adults at an elementary school in Connecticut, Newtown, by a gunman who was reported to have committed suicide later.  
“The evil elements can unleash horror anytime when they get a chance. We have to be ready all the time.”