Law and order: Plan to revamp Special Branch gets CM’s nod

Shahbaz says great demand for skilled manpower in Persian Gulf region

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved the implementation of a comprehensive plan formulated to revamp the Special Branch.

Sharif was chairing a meeting convened to review the law and order situation across the province. Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said the branch’s human resource and technical wings would be revived. Sharif ordered work on the Special Branch’s reorganisation to be expedited. The chief minister said short and medium-term strategies ought to be devised on this account. Sharif said branch employees would be provided a special package of incentives in accordance with their performance. He ordered recommendations in this regard to be presented within 10 days.

The chief minister ordered that attention be given to training of Special Branch officials and staff to improve performance standards. He said refresher courses should be arranged on this account. Sharif said new recruits would not be transferred elsewhere. The chief minister said improving the research and development and technical intelligence wings of the branch should be the focus.



He said an intelligence school for the Counter-Terrorism Department would function in accordance with contemporary demands. Sharif said the Special Protection Force was being constituted to guarantee the security of foreigners. He said recruitment of personnel for the force should be carried out in a transparent manner. Sharif said progress on this account should be expedited.

The chief minister instructed officials to improve security arrangements at important locations across the province. He said hard-work and dedication were required to foil the nefarious designs of the nation’s enemies. The chief minister said all steps were being taken to secure citizens’ lives and properties. He said all departments had been coordinating to ensure the effective implementation of decisions taken in the wake of the National Action Plan against terrorism. Sharif said there was no place for terrorists in the national fold. He said the pledge to bequeath a secure and tranquil nation to following generations would be honoured at all costs.

The chief minister said the crime intelligence system devised by the Punjab Information Technology Board would facilitate the maintenance of public order by utilising state-of-the-art technology. He praised the work of PITB Chairman Umer Saif on the occasion.

Former law minister Rana Sanaullah, government spokesperson Zaeem Qadri and several senior bureaucrats were also present at the meeting.

‘Great demand for labourers in Persian Gulf region’

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the government had taken several initiatives for the benefit of labourers.

He was addressing a meeting convened to review steps taken to review for the welfare of labourers at the Civil Secretariat. The chief minister said more initiatives would be announced on this account on Labour Day.

Sharif said there was great demand for skilled manpower in the Persian Gulf region. He said the government had devised a comprehensive strategy to export manpower to the region. Sharif said attention should be devoted to honing labourers’ skills and ensuring the provision of maximum facilities to the community. He said the provision of basic amenities should be made certain across all labour colonies immediately. The chief minister said a comprehensive plan for the protecting their rights should be formulated. He said recommendations in this regard should be presented as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2015.