Pakistan's Police Turn to Fishing Nets as Low-Cost Defence Against Drone Attacks

Police in northwestern Pakistan have adopted an improvised and inexpensive countermeasure against a growing threat from armed groups: fishing nets stretched several metres above security outposts to intercept explosive-laden drones. The netting, which resembles gear used by commercial fishermen, has been installed at checkposts in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an area near the Afghan border that has become a focal point of militant violence.

The measure was introduced two months ago at the Sarki Piyala police checkpost, according to local officers, and no drone attacks have been recorded there since the nets went up. Police inspector Fayyaz Khan, 40, said the improvised canopy could snag an incoming quadcopter or, at the very least, cause it to detonate above the heads of officers rather than among them. He explained that even if a drone does not get caught and explodes above the net, the damage is expected to be much less because most of the shrapnel and fragments would disperse in the air instead of falling directly onto personnel below.

The move follows a drone-and-gunfire assault on the same checkpost on April 16, an attack claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), commonly known as the Pakistan Taliban. Khan recalled that he and his colleagues ducked for cover as explosives were dropped from the air, while fighters opened fire from multiple directions. The confrontation lasted roughly seven hours, killed the driver of an armoured vehicle and wounded a constable. Khan described the fear of being caught in the middle of a battle without knowing whether he would survive to return home.

A standard checkpost can be covered with the netting for about 400,000 Pakistani rupees, equivalent to roughly $1,435, according to Hangu district police officer Tariq Habib. He said the system has been introduced at vulnerable police stations and checkposts to reduce the impact of drone and quadcopter attacks, and that additional nets are being installed across the district. The local police have requested more funding from the provincial government to expand the programme, and the request is under review.

The approach reflects a broader shift in militant tactics in the region. Armed groups are increasingly pairing conventional gunfire and mortars with drones and quadcopters rigged to drop explosives, forcing security forces to look for cheap, rapidly deployable defences that do not depend on advanced technology or large budgets. A spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said the nets have now been installed at checkpoints and police posts in at least five other vulnerable districts: Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan. Even military outposts at some sites in the province have adopted the anti-drone netting.

Police officer Zeeshan Khan said no drone or quadcopter attacks have occurred at Sarki Piyala and the nearby Baliamena checkposts since the nets were erected. He described the netting as an extra layer of security and estimated that, in the event of an attack, it could reduce potential losses by 40 to 50 percent. The assessment is anecdotal rather than the product of a formal study, but it reflects the confidence that the measure has given to officers operating in some of the province's most dangerous areas.

The threat facing Hangu is severe. The district's deadliest attack this year occurred on July 29, when assailants used quadcopters rigged with bombs to storm a police outpost before launching a ground ambush. At least 11 police officers were killed and 28 wounded, while 15 attackers also died in the hours-long assault, which was claimed by the TTP. On September 20, another exchange of fire in Hangu killed six soldiers and eight attackers, according to the Pakistani army.

That clash came two days after a separate armed group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, carried out coordinated attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kohat district, killing 23 people, including 16 police officers, and bombing a mosque. Police say they have recorded at least 16 attacks in Hangu this year alone, making it one of the most sensitive districts in the province and a hotbed of activity by armed groups, mainly the TTP.

Pakistan has witnessed an increase in armed attacks in recent years, with the police and military bearing the brunt of the violence. Many of the assaults have been claimed by the TTP, which says it is fighting to establish a Taliban-style, religious-driven government in Pakistan. The group's campaign has intensified along the porous border with Afghanistan, where Pakistani officials say militant leaders have found sanctuary.

Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused Kabul's Taliban government of providing the TTP with a safe haven on Afghan soil and have demanded that it prevent cross-border attacks into Pakistan. Kabul has denied the accusations, describing the attacks as Islamabad's domestic security problem. The dispute has strained relations between the two neighbours and complicated efforts to secure the frontier, which runs about 30km (18 miles) from Hangu district.

For police officers on the ground, the fishing nets represent a practical response to a threat that has proved difficult to counter. Unlike electronic jamming systems or specialised air-defence equipment, the netting is cheap, simple to install and does not require technical training to maintain. The Hangu district force has asked for additional provincial funding to extend the programme, and its request remains under review. If approved, the netting could be deployed at more stations and checkposts in a province where police and military personnel continue to face near-daily risks.

The frequent attacks have reshaped daily life in Hangu and surrounding areas, particularly for communities living near security installations that are now draped in black mesh. While the nets offer no guarantee against a determined or sophisticated attack, officers describe them as a modest but meaningful improvement over the previous situation, providing an extra layer of protection and, perhaps just as importantly, a measure of reassurance for those who man the checkposts.