LAHORE - Provincial Minister for Anti-Terrorism Sardar Ayub Khan Gaadhi has said the squad of the Special Operations Unit will prove a jewel in the crown of Punjab Police and set new examples of dutifulness and bravery.
He said the squad would play a frontline role in operations against dangerous criminals and terrorists. He expressed these views while addressing participants in the first passing out of the Special Operations Unit squad at the Elite Training Centre at Bedian.
He said that despite physical training of this special operations unit many other counterterrorism courses had been included in their course in order to make this force an illuminating precedent for other forces.
PHP Additional IG Amjad Javed Saleemi attended the event as an acting IG. He said in his address that training of this special operations unit had been conducted under supervision of best army unit SSG retired officers.
By ability of the SSG officers, the special operations unit has become two sided whet sword and due to their efficient proceedings new chapters of zeal, determination and valour have been added to Punjab Police. Moreover, he said, establishment of the Special Operations Unit was need of time to maintain law and order and counter terrorism.
Additional IG (Establishment) Azhar Hameed Khokhar, Additional IG (Welfare and Finance) Muhammad Tahir, CCPO Muhammad Ameen Wains, DIG (Operations) Amir Zulfiqar Khan, DIG (Training) Waqar Abbasi, DIG (Establishment) Syed Khurram Ali Shah, Special Branch DIG (Security and Admin) Shahid Haneef, Elite Force DIG Afzal Butt, Elite Training Centre Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Pervez Iqbal and other senior officers attended the event.
In the beginning of parade, Elite Force DIG Afzal Butt said that need for the special operations unit was first felt during an operation in Kachha last year. After this operation, it was decided that a special unit would be set up. He said that more than 180 personnel of Elite Force were selected for this unit. Now after completion of three months course 112 personnel have passed out in the first squad of this force.
