The Airports Security Force (ASF) (Urdu: ہوائی اڈے ضامن فورس)[2] is a federal airport security force agency under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation which is responsible for protecting the airports, facilities and the planes (on-ground or in-air) in Pakistan. ASF safeguards the civil aviation industry against unlawful interferences, adopting counter terrorism measures, preventing crime and maintaining law and order within the limits of airports in Pakistan. The current Director General of ASF is Major General Adnan Asif Jah Shad HI(M).[3] The ASF is an 14,560-personnel organisation.[4]
| Airports Security Force ہوائی اڈے ضامن فورس | |
|---|---|
 ASF Emblem | |
| Abbreviation | ASF |
| Motto | Firm & Courteous |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1976 |
| Employees | 14,560[1] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Pakistan |
| Specialist jurisdiction |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Cabinet Secretariat, Aviation Division, Pakistan |
| Website | |
| asf joinasf | |
History
editThe ASF was established in 1976 under the Airports Security Force Act LXXVII of 1975 initially as the Directorate of the Department of Civil Aviation. After the hijacking of a Pakistan International Airlines aeroplane in March 1981, sensing the contradictory requirements of security and facilitation, the Airports Security Force (ASF) was separated, and in December 1983, was placed under the folds of the Ministry of Defence.[5][6]
Later, in 2013 under the umbrella of Cabinet Secretariat, an Aviation Division was created and Airports Security Force (ASF), Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) came under the control of new division. The Aviation Division is headed by the Aviation Secretary of Pakistan. The ASF is mainly responsible for security of airports and aircraft.[7]
Subsidiaries
edit- ASF Schools and Colleges
- ASF Medical Centres
- ASF Land and Housing
- ASF Security Pvt Ltd
Directors General (Former Force Commanders)
editSince inception, ASF has always been headed by officers of Pakistan Armed Forces. Currently Major General ranked officers of Pakistan army heads organization for a term of three years.[8]
| Sr | Name of DG | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GP Capt M.Y Khan | July 1976 | April 1977 |
| 2 | Brig Saleem Zia | April 1977 | July 1977 |
| 3 | Brig Muzaffar Ali Khan | July 1977 | January 1980 |
| 4 | Brig Saleem Zia | January 1980 | October 1981 |
| 5 | Brig Tariq Rafi | November 1981 | November 1986 |
| 6 | Brig Khawar Latif But | November 1986 | December 1989 |
| 7 | Brig Muneeb Ur Rehman Farooqui, SI(M) | December 1989 | December 1992 |
| 8 | Brig Rashid Ali Malik | December 1992 | November 1996 |
| 9 | Brig Manzoor Iqbal Bangesh | November 1996 | March 1999 |
| 10 | Brig Naveed Nasar Khan | 1 April 1999 | 1 July 2002 |
| 11 | Brig Javed Iqbal Sattar | 27 June 2002 | 10 February 2006 |
| 12 | Brig Fiaz Ahmed Satti | 10 January 2006 | 30 March 2009 |
| 13 | Brig Sahir Aslam Butt | 30 March 2009 | 4 July 2011 |
| 14 | Brig Muhammad Azam Tiwana | 10 January 2011 | 29 December 2014 |
| 15 | Maj General Sohail Ahmad Khan, HI(M) | September 2014 | April 2017 |
| 16 | Maj General Ali Abbas Hayder HI(M), S.BT | May 2017 | 29 September 2018 |
| 17 | Maj General Zafar ul Haq, HI(M) | October 2018 | 23 May 2021 |
| 18 | Maj General Abid Latif Khan HI(M) | June 2021 | Oct 2022 |
| 19 | Maj General Adnan Asif Jah Shad HI(M) | Nov 2022 | Present |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies; Hackett, James (ed.) (2020). The Military Balance 2020. London: Routledge. pp. 302. ISBN 9780367466398.
- ^ "Join ASF". 20 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "ASF Pakistan — Message from Director General". www.asf.gov.pk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Dawn Investigations: The shaky foundations of ASF Arabian Vista". Dawn. 5 February 2019.
- ^ Pakistan airports on high alert after bomb threat. Sami Zubeiri, Brisbane Times, 26 September 2008
- ^ ASF Sky Marshalls: Proving themselves in a man's world, Express Tribune
- ^ Syed, Baqir Sajjad (7 July 2013). "New order for aviation causes uncertainty". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "ASF Pakistan — Ex DGs". www.asf.gov.pk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.