The Airport Security Force (ASF) has responded to what it calls the deliberate dissemination of misinformation through resharing of two old videos on social media platforms.
These videos, depicting incidents involving ASF officials, have been exploited by malicious entities to spread provocation and defamation.
A spokesperson for the ASF alleged that two old videos are being deliberately reshared again and again on social media to spread misinformation and provocation under an organized conspiracy. In one video, an ASF official is seen misbehaving with a minor girl, while the other shows an official in a brawl with an angry mob in 2019.
The spokesman announced that stringent departmental disciplinary measures have been implemented against individuals featured in the old videos, in accordance with the law.
"Both the videos are being circulated again and again with malice to defame institutions and Pakistani forces," a statement said.
The ASF, operating under the Pakistan Army Act, maintains a rigorous system of accountability as an organised force, mirroring the principles of the Pakistan Army. Under this system, no one within the force is above accountability, and a policy of zero tolerance is strictly enforced against any form of inappropriate behaviour by officers.
The statement further says that employees seen in the old videos have undergone court-martial proceedings and subsequently dismissed from service.
The spokesperson condemned the orchestrated campaign aimed at defaming Pakistan and sowing discord within its institutions. By manipulating old videos, malicious elements seek to undermine the morale of security forces and instigate national enmity.
However, the ASF remains steadfast in its dedication to duty and will not tolerate any attempts to malign its reputation or disrupt its operations.
In one of the videos going viral on social media, a minor girl can be seen running towards her father, who is coming out of Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. But an officer pulls her back by her hair, causing her to fall to the ground, as shown in the video, after which the girl starts weeping.
Cricket superstar Shahid Afridi is among the many people who have responded to the video. According to Afridi, no one who is unable to empathize with children should be given any public office.
An ASF spokesman acknowledged the veracity of the footage in a statement, but stressed that the officer -- not the force as a whole -- was accountable for his actions.
