Airports Security Force
ASF Emblem
ASF Emblem
AbbreviationASF
MottoFirm & Courteous
Agency overview
Formed1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Employees14560[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionPakistan
Specialist jurisdiction
  • Buildings and other fixed assets.
Operational structure
Agency executive
  • Maj Gen Adnan Asif Jah Shad, Director General
Parent agencyCabinet Secretariat, Aviation Division, Pakistan
Website
asf.gov.pk
joinasf.gov.pk

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 8,945-personnel organisation.[4]

History

The 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

Directors General (Former Force Commanders)

Since 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

References

  1. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies; Hackett, James (ed.) (2020). The Military Balance 2020. London: Routledge. pp. 302. ISBN 9780367466398.
  2. ^ "ASF Roll No Slip 2022 Download for Physical & Written Test". EduOnline.pk. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  3. ^ "ASF Pakistan — Message from Director General". www.asf.gov.pk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Dawn Investigations: The shaky foundations of ASF Arabian Vista". Dawn. 5 February 2019.
  5. ^ Pakistan airports on high alert after bomb threat. Sami Zubeiri, Brisbane Times, 26 September 2008
  6. ^ ASF Sky Marshalls: Proving themselves in a man's world, Express Tribune
  7. ^ Syed, Baqir Sajjad (7 July 2013). "New order for aviation causes uncertainty". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. ^ "ASF Pakistan — Ex DGs". www.asf.gov.pk. Retrieved 16 August 2021.

External links

Pakistan Armed Forces
Airports in Pakistan (statistics)
Categories