ISLAMABAD: The Sub-Committee of Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meeting was given a comprehensive briefing about the Individual Security Threat Assessment Committee (ISTAC) constituted after the Supreme Court gave orders regarding security deployment with famous personalities. The committee was told by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Security that ISTAC at federal level, headed by DIG Security Islamabad comprised of Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Islamabad, SSP Security Islamabad, AIG Special Branch, Director Islamabad of Inter Services Intelligence, IB Islamabad director and National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) director. The committee was constituted by the verbal approval of the interior secretary and was notified by IGP in Islamabad. After its notification and development of TORs/SOPs, the report was submitted to the Supreme Court whereby Chief Justice of Pakistan approved the mechanism adopted for working of the committee. The meeting of the sub-committee was held with the convener Senator Javed Abbasi in the chair and was attended among others by Senator Muhammad Ateeq Sheikh, Joint Secretaries Interior Alam Zeb Khan and Salman Qayum Khan, NACTA Operations Director Obaid Farooq Malik, Rawalpindi RPO Fayyaz Ahmed, Information & Communications Technology (ICT) DIG Security Waqar Chauhan, ICT SSP Operations Najeebur Rahman, AIG Special Branch Liaquat Niazi, SSP Security Karachi Hassan Sardar Niazi. The committee was told that the entitlement to availing security is determined on two basis, either by ministry of interior and cabinet division or through a court order. Other than entitlement, ISTAC considers the matters of deployment of security on basis of threat assessment, importance of personality and whether the security is needed for any service to state or as an outcome of a personal affair. The committee also takes information from intelligence agencies and other official sources as well as reviews applications from individuals. The committee appreciated the Islamabad police for developing an effective mechanism on threat assessment while at the same time asking them to submit complete lists of people who currently have security vehicles or personnel with them. SSP Security Karachi told the committee that Sindh had benefitted the most from the practice and said that as of today, 1,000 security personnel and 50 vehicles have returned to the police department which can now be used efficiently. The committee in its next meeting will take detailed briefings from the police departments of the four provinces. Published in Daily Times, July 4th 2018.