MIRPUR: Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shoaib Dastgeer on Saturday said that a special protection unit was being formed in AJK exclusively for the safety and security of the foreigners engaged in the ongoing and forthcoming mega development projects in power generation and other sectors under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Speaking to a group of journalists, he said that a lot of required steps were being taken to improve the performance of the force harmonious to the need of the modern age for the safety and security of the masses of the region which, he said, was “more peaceful as compared to any other part of the country vis-a-vis the rate of crimes.”
Dastgeer also said that the government of Pakistan had accorded a formal approval for the emergence of a uniformed special protection unit in the AJK comprising at least 800 seasoned and trained security men.
At present, only five per cent of the budget allocated for the AJK police was being utilised for operational expenditures – whereas the rest of 95 per cent of the allocated budget was spent in form of the salaries, he said. Under the recent move by his office, the AJK government and the Kashmir Council issued a special grant of Rs10 million, (Rs 5 million each) for the repair of at least 25 police building projects across the region as well as for the fuel of the police vans fleet.
Besides, funds worth seven million rupees were secured for the improvement of the performance of investigation and test/laboratory wings, he added.
The IGP also said the existing weapons would be replaced with latest arms in the wake of the measures to make the police well-equipped and armed in line with the modern needs. He highlighted that the government released a grant of three million rupees for the purchase of latest ammunition for the force.
He underlined that all the utensils for the force including machinery, uniform, shoes etc would now be purchased in the future after getting checked and approved by the labs to ensure their required high quality. To a question, Dastgeer said that three to four hundred new recruits including cops and the ASIs respectively through the direct recruitment process and the AJK Public Service Commission were being added to the current 8300 personnel of the police force.
To another question, he emphasised the need to constitute an anti-terrorist force unit in the AJK police. He said the matter would be taken up with the central government by that of the AJK for the establishment of the anti-terrorist force unit to combat against any attempt of subversion and terrorism in the region. “We should always remain alert with professional preparedness to deal with any eventuality,” the AJK police chief said.
Earlier, the IGP addressed the darbar of the cops at the local police lines and advised them to remain alert and vigilant around the clock to perform their duties with zeal for the safety and security of the lives and properties of the masses through discoursing crimes and to maintain the rule of law through the best of their professional skills and abilities.
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