Feb 20, 2015
LAHORE - Following the suicide attack outside Lahore Police Headquarters that killed at least five persons including a sub-inspector, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Amin Wains says police will continue battling militants on the frontline in urban parts of the province.
The police officer, who is also Additional Inspector General of Police Punjab, further revealed that a central security mechanism had been developed with the support of Pakistan Amy to give befitting response to the terrorists in case of any emergency or hostage crisis.
Trained by military instructors, elite police commandoes are enabled to react forcefully and physically within a very short span of time. “We can’t share the exact response time because of security reasons but let me assure that the commandoes will respond aggressively and within minutes,” the officer added.
The elite police commandoes, these days, are doing mock-exercises in different parts of Lahore to enhance further their skills in the field of counter-terror operations by quickly responding to supposed emergency calls. They are sent to elite schools, key government installations, and foreign establishments.
Insurgents have stepped up terror strikes across Pakistan involving bomb, gun, and grenade attacks. The militants are mercilessly targeting religious places and security headquarters since the Pakistan Army had started an offensive against Taliban in North Waziristan Agency followed by another operation in parts of Khyber Agency in mid-October. The Waziristan offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, was started after a government initiative to make peace with the Taliban broke down and militants mounted an audacious attack on the Karachi airport.
“Sectarianism is bigger threat than extremisms and the police will ruthlessly fight to defeat, destroy, and disintegrate the menace of sectarianism from the society,” Lahore police chief said in an exclusive chat with The Nation.
Amin Wains, who is also a former Captain in Army, believes the police commandoes are given extensive training in the field of counter-terror operations, intelligence gathering, and crisis management by the qualified military instructors. He also said that victory was the only option in the war against terrorism and all energies were being utilised for making the state a peaceful society.
“The counter terror force of the Punjab police will play a vanguard role in the elimination of terrorism,” he said, adding that the police had taken immediate and effective measures with regard to implementation of National Action Plan. “It is our priority to ensure foolproof security of mosques, Imambarghs and other worship places,” the police chief said.
Apart from terrorists and extremists, police have launched a full-fledged clampdown on the facilitators of militants. “All the institutions, including security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies are working collectively and we have clear-cut policy with one-point agenda that is ‘to eliminate extremism,” he maintained.
Last month, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the passing out parade of the first batch of the Punjab Elite Police Force (EPF) at the Elite Police Training School on Baidian Road in Lahore.
Many police officers say the presence of the COAS at the passing out event indicates how the security forces and law enforcement agencies are working closely to eliminate extremism and terrorism.
Shaken by condemnations in the wake of Model Town massacre, Punjab police heave a sigh of relief as the national action plan brought the police hierarchy and leading military officers closer.
On the occasion of passing out parade, the army chief was quoted as saying, “Pakistan Army is committed to train all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and build their capacity to collectively work for security and law and order.”
General Raheel also said that the training capacity of security forces had been enhanced and the programme would be further expanded across the country.
Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG), Punjab Police and Turkish experts shared high standard training in the fields of investigation, intelligence and special operations. The first batch of 468 corporals who passed out on January 31 would start their general training, including Elite Police course, from April 2014. The second batch of 462 corporals joined the training in June 2014 and would complete their two month specialised training on March 31, 2015. The basic qualification for corporals was graduation, but a good number of them are master degree holders, vets, engineers and MBAs, according to the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department.
(The Nation)
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