CM Punjab attends passing out parade at Sihala

Lahore : Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the history of Punjab police is marked with service, honesty and supreme sacrifices and the whole nation is proud of it. He said that police officers are being recruited purely on merit and transparency so as to ensure law and order and justice in the province and they are being imparted training on modern lines.

He was addressing the passing-out parade of the second batch of 297^th probationer sub-inspectors including 37 women at Police College Sihala today. Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah, Minister for  Minerals Ch. Sher Ali, IG Punjab Police Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, Home Secretary Maj. Retd. Azam Salman, Commissioner Rawalpindi Azmat Mehmood, Member National Assembly Abrar Ahmed Malik, Commandant Police College Sahala Sohail Habib Tajak, Deputy Commandant Abdul Qadir Qamar, members parliament, diplomats, in-service and retired police officers as well as a large number of family members of passing-out police officers were present on the occasion.

The Chief Minister said that young police officers are a hope of the nation and it is expected that they will perform their responsibilities with spirit and in a professional manner. He said that it is a matter of pride that a number of highly educated youth and some of those are MBA, law graduates or hold M. Phil, BSc Honors, bachelor or master degrees and have preferred to join police service.

He said that these officers have been  trained by management of Police College Sihala in different fields and enabled them uphold the demands of justice. Referring to oath of police officers, he said, probationer police officers have vowed that they will perform their duties with impartiality and will follow police discipline and traditions.

Referring to the measures taken for controlling crimes through setting up Dolphin Force and Counter-terrorism Force, Shahbaz Sharif said that work is in progress speedily on Safe City Project and its first phase will become operational next month. He said that former federal government gave the contract of Safe City Project in Islamabad for Rs.16 billion whereas for Lahore, this project which is four times bigger, has been given for Rs.12 billion and that too after many years.

The Chief Minister appreciated the spirit and passion of newly-recruited police officers and expressed confidence that they will uphold the glorious traditions of Punjab police and help ensure justice. He congratulated Commandant Police College Sohail Tajik and his team on maintaining a high standard of training.

He stressed upon the new officers to check oppressions and help the aggrieved. He said that it is their responsibility to protect life and property of citizens without any fear or favor.

IG Police Punjab Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera said that funds are being provided for the improvement of Punjab Police and setting up new institutions while highly educated youth are being recruited to change thana culture. He said that 220 desks have been set up at police stations where citizens can lodge their complaints without any fear. He said that a complaint cell has also been set up at IG Office where action has been taken on 14000 complaints so far.  He said that record of police stations is also being computerized. He said that police officers can earn blessings of Allah in this world and the world hereafter by performing their duties efficiently.

Earlier, Commandant Police College Sihala Sohail Habib Tajak said that 80 thousand police officers have received training at this training center which is one of the best in Asia and these include police officers of KPK, NAB, FIA, Customs and Motorway Police. He said that police officers of eight friendly countries have also received training at this college. He said that courses in crime mapping, literacy, crisis, disaster management as well as media management are also been conducted at the college with the collaboration of Punjab Information Technology Board.

The Chief Minister also gave awards to probationer police officers showing outstanding performance. Earlier, he inspected the parade while police contingents presented salute to him. Police Jawans gave a practical display of training to overcome terrorists.

Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated the newly constructed auditorium, shooting room and driving projects at the college and recorded his impressions in the visitor’s book.