RAWALPINDI: The first batch of 500 corporals for the Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF) will complete its training in the first week of the next month. Experts from Turkish special force have trained these corporals.

Of the 500 corporals of the newly-formed Anti-Terrorism Force, 71 will join the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Rawalpindi following nine more months of training at Elite Police Training School in Lahore.

Trainers included foreign and military experts and the syllabus covered operation, intelligence and investigation.

A senior police official said Rs300 million had been given to the CTD for training the corporals. During training the corporals were given a salary of Basic Pay Scale-5 and after the completion of the training Rs50,000 would be given to the corporals as risk allowance.

A total of 1,500 corporals for the ATF were selected and recruited by the Punjab government in March last year thorough the National Testing System (NTS).

The newly-formed ATF will receive latest weapons and other resources for mobility and may also be given helicopters, a senior police official said.

The official said other than the 71 corporals joining CTD in Rawalpindi, the rest would be deployed in other districts of Punjab.

He said the corporals will work under the Additional Inspector General of Police CTD.

He added that the addition of corporals in the CTD would help the government to implement its National Action Plan for counter-terrorism.

Published in Dawn January 28th, 2015

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