RAWALPINDI, Aug 26: With the help of the United States (US), Pakistan Railways has set up a bomb disposal unit at Rawalpindi Railway Station to avoid any untoward incident in the public place.

The US has provided Rs30 million worth of equipment to Pakistan Railways under the Anti-Terrorism Assistant Programme. A US team has trained four officials of the Railways Police in Islamabad to detect sophisticated arms and ammunition in the railway station.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ibne Hussain has been directed to make proper arrangements to initiate the bomb disposal unit at the railway station and said such units would soon be established in all main railway stations across the country, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

He thanked the US team head Robert A. Clark during his visit to Railway police office for imparting training to the police officials and asked the trained men to pass on this training to their colleagues.

Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Superintendent of Police (SP) Ulfat Ali told Dawn that the police had received and started utilising equipment at the railway station.

He said a separate room for the bomb disposal unit had been allocated by the main platform of the station, and the unit’s team would be deployed at the entrance and exit gates. The area around the station would be manned by the railway police.

Mr Ali said the railway police officials would soon be sent to the US for further training.

He said the unit was equipped with metal detectors and a bomb disposal kit to defuse live bombs and detect all types of explosive material.

He said the railway police would also install CCTVs at the station, and a proposal in this regard had been sent to the federal government.