The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with support from the European Union and in collaboration with the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), has handed over varied essential equipment to revamp an Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU) within the Counter Terrorism Department of the Sindh police during a ceremony held in Karachi in presence of members from the international community.
The equipment was delivered under the framework of the Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) project. Over the past year, the UNODC and NACTA together have organised 10 speicalised workshops on countering the financing of terrorism to enhance the knowledge and skills of investigators and prosecutors in Sindh, and approximately 300 officials have been trained so far under the PACT project
Inaugurating the newly established unit, UNODC Country Representative Dr Jeremy Milsom highlighted the UNODC’s commitment to provide speicalised training followed by making operational equipment available to investigators to support their day-to-day work.
“The Government of Sindh is a frontrunner in establishing a provincial Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit in Pakistan, which includes dedicated prosecutors to readily provide legal advice to investigators. The UNODC is pleased to be part of this groundbreaking initiative under the PACT project, and in addition to delivery equipment we are promoting a conducive work environment and specialised training to the ATFU personnel to holistically enhance its counter-terrorism financing efforts,” stated Dr Milsom.
On behalf of the European Union, François Zablot participated and acknowledged the “efforts made by Sindh police for addressing the challenges related to terrorism-financing in the province, a greater integrated approach amongst allstakeholders on information-sharing was required and with the establishment of the ATFU it’s a step forward in the right direction.”
The deputy inspector general of the Sindh police’s Counter Terrorism Department, Omer Shahid Hamid, appreciated the UNODC and the European Union’s efforts, and extended his gratitude on behalf of the inspector general for their generous contribution to supporting endeavours to make the ATFU functional.
“The PACT initiative has and continues to bridge critical gaps to strengthen the capacity of frontline investigators by enhancing their counter-terrorism capabilities. We are pleased to see that the initiative has adapted to our provincial needs.”
