Counter Terrorism Department formed
The provincial government forms a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) by reorganising CID.
LAHORE:
The provincial government has formed a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) by reorganising the Crime Investigation Department (CID), to deal with the terrorism incidents in an effective manner.
The CTD will work under the Counter Terrorism Authority (CTA), formed in order to coordinate anti terrorism efforts.
CM Shahbaz Sharif, in a meeting on June 23, 2010, had approved the reorganisation of the CID into the CTD. He had directed the CTA to undertake the task.
Besides the chief minister, who is the CTA chairman, the authority includes the chief secretary, the home secretary, the inspector general of police, the Prosecution Department secretary and two members of the provincial and the national assemblies.
An official concerned told The Express Tribune that the CTD’s strength, which currently stands at 400, will be increased to 2,800. The new officials will be inducted from the Special Branch, district police, intelligence agencies and the Elite Force.
The officials will draw their salaries from the CTD and not from their parent departments.
An additional inspector general (AIG) of Police will head the CTD. Other officers will include a deputy inspector general, superintendents of police (SPs) as well as officials of the Crime Analysis Cell and divisional headquarters.
The official said that the provincial government plans to set up three police stations – based in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan – to work under the CTD.
He said that the first information reports (FIRs) of terrorism incidents will be lodged in these police stations. The CTD officials will be empowered to investigate these cases and make the necessary arrests.
Additional Inspector General Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, who heads the CTD, said that he cannot give a confirmed date yet for the establishment of these stations. He said that his team was committed to implementing the organisational plan.
The official said that the plan included extending the three stations into CTD’s divisional headquarters. Each police station, he said, would be headed by a superintendent of Police (SP). He said that the Police Department had already been asked by the CTD to offer suggestions to fill the SPs positions.
The department will require additional equipment including vehicles and weapons. For a start, the government has told the CTD to use the funds allocated originally for the CID.
Sukhera, the CTD head, however, refused to comment on the budget allocation or the CTD strength.
The first batch of CTD officials will get seven-day training at its school located in Lahore by former officers of the Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence and Inter Service Intelligence.
The official said that with time a state-of-the-art training programme will be designed for the new-recruits in the CTD.
He said that any citizen can lodge an FIR pertaining to a terrorism incident in these stations.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2010.
The provincial government has formed a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) by reorganising the Crime Investigation Department (CID), to deal with the terrorism incidents in an effective manner.
The CTD will work under the Counter Terrorism Authority (CTA), formed in order to coordinate anti terrorism efforts.
CM Shahbaz Sharif, in a meeting on June 23, 2010, had approved the reorganisation of the CID into the CTD. He had directed the CTA to undertake the task.
Besides the chief minister, who is the CTA chairman, the authority includes the chief secretary, the home secretary, the inspector general of police, the Prosecution Department secretary and two members of the provincial and the national assemblies.
An official concerned told The Express Tribune that the CTD’s strength, which currently stands at 400, will be increased to 2,800. The new officials will be inducted from the Special Branch, district police, intelligence agencies and the Elite Force.
The officials will draw their salaries from the CTD and not from their parent departments.
An additional inspector general (AIG) of Police will head the CTD. Other officers will include a deputy inspector general, superintendents of police (SPs) as well as officials of the Crime Analysis Cell and divisional headquarters.
The official said that the provincial government plans to set up three police stations – based in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan – to work under the CTD.
He said that the first information reports (FIRs) of terrorism incidents will be lodged in these police stations. The CTD officials will be empowered to investigate these cases and make the necessary arrests.
Additional Inspector General Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, who heads the CTD, said that he cannot give a confirmed date yet for the establishment of these stations. He said that his team was committed to implementing the organisational plan.
The official said that the plan included extending the three stations into CTD’s divisional headquarters. Each police station, he said, would be headed by a superintendent of Police (SP). He said that the Police Department had already been asked by the CTD to offer suggestions to fill the SPs positions.
The department will require additional equipment including vehicles and weapons. For a start, the government has told the CTD to use the funds allocated originally for the CID.
Sukhera, the CTD head, however, refused to comment on the budget allocation or the CTD strength.
The first batch of CTD officials will get seven-day training at its school located in Lahore by former officers of the Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence and Inter Service Intelligence.
The official said that with time a state-of-the-art training programme will be designed for the new-recruits in the CTD.
He said that any citizen can lodge an FIR pertaining to a terrorism incident in these stations.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2010.