Securing Punjab: PM Nawaz wants anti-terror force at earliest

Lifts ban on recruitments in law enforcement agencies.

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the Punjab government to present a comprehensive operational plan to curb terrorism in the province, at the earliest.

Lifting the ban on all recruitments in law enforcement agencies, the prime minister said that a counterterrorism force should be raised immediately in Punjab to fight the menace efficiently.

He directed that recruitment process for the force must start within ten days. He was chairing a high level meeting to review the progress on the formation of Punjab Counter Terrorism Department.

“I have serious concerns regarding the capacity of civilian law enforcement agencies to detect and fight militancy,” Nawaz Sharif said.

The premier said that the federal government will assist the provincial government’s Counter Terrorism Force (CTF) in all possible ways including the provision of call data information. He asked for an enhanced coordination and harmony among all state agencies for achieving the desired objectives of uprooting terrorism.

The prime minister stressed that the training imparted to personnel of the CTF must match Army’s standards. Underlining the need for more vigilance and proactive approach by the government to fight terror, the premier asked for dedicating more resources for the cause.

He said that de-radicalisation must also be made a part of the comprehensive counter terrorism strategy.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif, Senior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and other senior officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2013.