November 26, 2005	Saturday	Shawwal 23, 1426

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RAWALPINDI, Nov 25: A three-member United Nations selection team on Friday concluded selection tests of 416 police officers for deployment in UN peacekeeping mission. But out of the 416, the 183 could qualify the selection tests, Dawn has learnt. Out of the 416 police officers ranking from SI to DIG, appeared in the selection test held at the police lines headquarters Islamabad, the 183 could pass. But out of the 183, the 36 police officers failed to clear the shooting test.

The police officers who disqualified in the shooting test would be deployed in the non-armed UN mission. While the 147 would join the armed mission. Out of the 147, there were four police inspectors of Rawalpindi police selected for the UN mission. They were inspector Iqbal Shah, Amir Khalil, Waris and Saqib.

The selection tests, including English communications skill both oral and writing, shooting and driving had started on Nov 21 and concluded on Nov 25. The selected candidates would be deployed in Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Cost.

A three-member UN team including three police officers of the rank of SP — one Egyptian, a Russian and the third a Nigerian conducted the tests for UN mission.

Prior to the selection test by the UN team, the police officers willing to join the UN peacekeeping mission, were selected by the IGPs through similar tests conducted in all the police headquarters including the Islamabad Capital Territory. The lists of the selected candidates were sent to the Interior Ministry.

There have been some reports that the UN selection team was influenced by the concerned authorities to either allow some candidates to appear in the test or select them, but they refused and warned that they would leave Islamabad without conducting the tests.

There were some candidates who appeared in the UN mission test after seeking provisional orders from the court of law. It may be recalled, that 400 police officers had appeared in the selection test for deployment in the UN mission in 2003 and out of them 259 had qualified. But this time the rate of qualification has considerably dropped. At that time out of the 259 selected candidates, the 59 could not join the UN mission due to time bar.

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