PM says upholds merit-based recruitment principle
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed to provide modern facilities and uphold merit-based recruitment in the country’s police force, saying the armed forces and law enforcement agencies remain resolute in their mission to eliminate terrorism.
Speaking at a ceremony at the National Police Academy, he said that protecting lives and property and ensuring justice are core responsibilities of the police, adding that high-quality training and infrastructure are critical to achieving those goals.
“The brave armed forces, Rangers, Frontier Corps and police personnel are sacrificing their lives to fight terrorism. They are saving millions from becoming orphans. We salute them,” Sharif said, addressing trainee officers from across the country, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Sharif announced a series of reforms and infrastructure upgrades for the National Police Academy, including a firing range and a hostel for trainee officers. He also laid the foundation stone for these facilities and distributed laptops among cadets.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to send officers to China for one-month specialised training and announced plans to introduce master’s degree programmes at the academy.
The facility, he added, is being developed on a 25-acre site and will be modelled after top institutions such as the Elite Training School in Bedian, Lahore.
“In my tenure as Punjab Chief Minister Punjab, the Elite Force was established – not to guard the elite – but to fight terrorism and crime. The Safe City project, the Anti-Terrorism Department, and the first forensic laboratory in Lahore are all examples of what can be achieved with resolve,” he added.
Sharif stressed that the implementation of merit in police recruitment is key to building a just and exemplary society.
“When complaints were received in Punjab, we took action and suspended responsible officers,” he said, adding that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his team were working to uphold the same standards.
“Just a year ago, the Academy was in disrepair. It had no staff and functioned as a dumping ground. Today, it is being transformed,” Naqvi added.
He revealed plans to align the academy’s standards with those of the Pakistan Military Academy and reintroduce foreign trainees, including under a United Nations training programme.
Naqvi also announced the introduction of modern courses such as cybercrime and criminology and promised competitive salaries and appointment of Assistant Course Commanders to raise training standards. “The National Police Academy will no longer be a dumping station,” he added.
Sharif concluded by paying tribute to police martyrs, citing the sacrifice of an officer in Jhelum who lost his life while saving others. “There is no greater sacrifice than laying down your life to protect your people and your homeland,” he added. At the onset, Naqvi, who accompanied the prime minister at the ceremony along with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, briefed him on the academy’s revival.—ZULFIQAR AHMAD
