RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Information Pervez Rashid on Friday applauded the sacrifices of law enforcement agencies and the citizens in the fight against terrorism.

The minister was addressing the participants of a training workshop on ‘media management on terrorism and extremism’ held at the Police College Sihala. Commandant of the college, Amir Zulfiqar Khan, course commander SSP Syed Ali Mohsin and other police officers were present on the occasion.

“We have to give a peaceful Pakistan, which we had seen in our childhood, to our children.” Mr Rashid said people of Pakistan had been playing their role to defeat terrorists. The holding of the Pakistan Day parade after a gap of seven years on March 23 was the symbol of success against terrorism.

He said people of Pakistan, especially the law enforcement agencies, had to face a war for which they had not been trained. Even then, he added, the law enforcement agencies continued fighting the terrorists with bravery and sacrificed their lives.

Referring to the banned organisations, the minister said the government was making new laws to check the activities of the banned organisations which had been operating with new names.

Sumaira Nazeer, a probationer sub-inspector, on the occasion asked the federal minister how the women police officers would be able to defend themselves in the practical field when they could not defend the allegations levelled by one of the former senior police officers.

It may be noted that a former senior police officer in one of his articles in an Urdu newspaper recently quoted a unanimous letter received from a woman trainee officer alleging that they were often harassed at the Police College, Sihala.

The minister said the senior police officer should not have quoted the unanimous letter in his article.

The women police officers were disappointed when the minister advised them to try to forget the allegations.

“How we and our families can forget it,” one of the women probationer officers was heard whispering. “You better try to forget it because there was no truth in the allegations,” the minister said, adding the police college Sihala was a prestigious training institute.

“Though it was a bitter experience for the women trainee officers, you have to be courageous to face the challenges in your practical life,” said Usman Khattak, the deputy inspector general of police training, in his concluding remarks.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2015

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