LAHORE - The Punjab Police, tasked with countering terrorists and hardended criminals, are expected to accomplish the towering task with just two bullets per constable. Well-placed police sources said not a single training session has taken place during the last and current years, except in Okara where some 384 police officers have completed their training under the command of the Pakistan Army trainers. Such inadequate provision of bullets has forced the police officers to take illegal steps in order to tackle the situation especially during fake police encounters and search operations against weapons smugglers. Do you know a Moharrar registered that 234 bullets were fired by the police cops during Nishtar Colony police encounter whereas only 18 dead cartridges were submitted with the authorities concerned, a police expert said. Insiders said the amount for arms and ammunition of provincial police has been fixed only Rs 40 million this year, which was fixed about Rs 400 million during 2003. When contacted IG Punjab Javed Iqbal via his DPR Nabeela Ghazanfar, he said, I will confirm you after checking the details of the allocated budget. IG Javed Iqbal has been badly failed to convince the PML-N led provincial government for the allocation of huge funds for arms and ammunition, a top cop said on condition of anonymity. He said, Frankly speaking the IG Punjab had demanded Rs 500 million from the provincial government for the aforementioned purpose but none of the public representatives bothered to pay heed towards the public safety purpose, he added. Insiders told that about Rs 400 million were fixed for ammunition for the Punjab Police that comprised 10,0000 personnel in 2003. Each (Small Magazine Gun) SMG bullet was purchased with Rs 25 while the 60 percent of the total budget for police was fixed for the entire force for arms and ammunition. Now, after almost eight years, about only five percent of the total budget has been fixed for arms and ammunition whereas an SMG bullet is being purchased with Rs 125 while the force has crossed numbering of 180, 000 personnel. A senior police officer, requesting not to be named, says the provincial police have to purchase 'bullet proof helmets, jackets, tear gas, global counter terrorism equipment and other necessary arms from this little amount, which has been decreased ten times as compared to the budget of the fiscal year 2002-2003. This is absolutely a stupidity to provide two bullets to each constable with directions to kill those terrorists, who are always equipped with sophisticated weapons, suicidal vests, and other modern weapons, an other senior police officer commented. He further revealed each officer is bound to fire 50 times in training session, which is planned to be conducted per year. He, however, said out of three, about one Training Butt located in Qila Gujar Singh Police Lines has been closed for the reasons best known to the authorities concerned. Two Training Butts located at Chung Training Centre and Elite Training Centre are still working where every police officer has to participate in yearly training session but the practice has been abandoned since long, he added. According to him, to cover their weaponry deficiencies, the top cops are habitual to issue bold statements by using jugglery of words. Similarly, according to an official circular (01/2011), IG Punjab Javed Iqbal issued such a statement here on January 24, 2011 in which he said as, Our mission is to fight crime and win by providing dynamic and effective law enforcement. The Punjab police will strive to uphold core values like integrity, courage, loyalty, and fairness in order to promote professionalism and trust.