FBI training local law enforcers

KARACHI - Specialists of US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in counter terrorism have started holding training courses for the Pakistani law enforcers. One such course was recently held in the city where as many as 25 officials of various agencies mostly of lower cadre were briefed about various aspects of counter terrorism that included how to tackle terrorism financing and money laundering, sources close to the training courses revealed to TheNation here on Saturday.
This is first time that the prime investigating agency of the US has established official contacts at grass-roots level in Pakistans law enforcing agencies.
According to the reports, FBI has frequently been offering training programmes for the local law enforcement agencies.
Source privy to the matter said that training programmes related to the US anti-terrorism campaign has been going on in different provinces of Pakistan in which lower cadre of various local law enforcement agencies are being trained by the US-based agency. The US Embassy in Islamabad had offered training programme under the title Basic Analysis Training to support the ongoing efforts of local law enforcement agencies on counter terrorism.
A communiquT of the US Embassy received by Director General FIA stated that the aim behind the training is to improve the analytic capabilities of law enforcement agencies in Pakistan.
The communiquT further stated that for these purposes the second batch of instructors from FBI will visit Islamabad from January 18-22 for imparting the training.
Those engaged in the analysis of information relating to the counter terrorism or criminal matters would be given preference for the course.
Through the communiquT the DG FIA was requested to provide a place, which could accommodate about 30 personnel for the said training programmes. The source disclosed that the training programme was held in a local hotel of Karachi in which inspector level and lower officers of different law enforcement departments took part. The training programme held in Karachi was aimed to train the officers on terrorism financing and money laundering.
They felt that the basic objective of such kind of exercise was to establish contacts with law enforcers at lower level and to bolster the image of FBI in the eyes of the local law enforces.