RAWALPINDI, Dec 15: The recruitment of 800 corporals, who will be part of the Punjab government’s Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), started at Police College Sihala on Saturday and will continue till December 18, 2013.

The 3,100 applicants from Rawalpindi division, including 500 females, had applied for the 800 posts of corporals in the anti-terrorism force of Punjab police.

However, a police official close to the recruitment process said the response from candidates on the first day of the recruitment was discouraging as a large number of applicants did not turn up.

“There were many candidates who had submitted their application forms, but did not turn up perhaps due to the strict selection criteria. Only 120 of the 800 applicants called (15 per cent) appeared for the physical tests,” he said.

The official added that the candidates who had good academic record were physically unfit, while those who were physically active were academically weak. The female candidates for the posts of 192 corporals will appear for physical fitness test on Dec 19 at the selection centre.

The application forms were received by National Testing Service (NTS).

The newly formed ATF will be under the direct control of the Punjab home department, and the salary announced for the selected candidate will be Rs75,000.

In the first phase, the ATF will be responsible for intelligence gathering and operational duties while it will be assigned “investigation and prosecution” in the second phase.

The date of the written tests will be announced after the physical fitness tests are completed.