RAWALPINDI: With just one day to go before the end of the current National Assembly’s term, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf issued an order on Friday for an “unprecedented security protocol” for himself and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, according to sources.

A contingent of 450 police personnel would be taken from Islamabad police for that purpose as 150 of them would be deployed for Mr Ashraf while the same number of personnel would be deployed for Mr Gilani.

In a related move, it has been decided that special security protocol would be provided to five former prime ministers during their inter-city movement.

They include Raja Pervez Ashraf, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Zafarullah Khan Jamali as they would be provided a special squad of 15 Rangers and 15 Frontier Constabulary force with three police and a Ranger vehicle during their movement in the twin-cities.

A batch of five deputy superintendents of police of Islamabad territory, led by deputy inspector general (DIG) Dr Sultan Azam Taimoori, were called at the PM house on Friday evening for selection of a DSP to head the force, sources said.

A contingent of 450 police personnel consisting of ex-army jawans, inducted in the ICT police by the former government on a three year contract, will be spared for this purpose and the vacuum created by their departure will be filled after fresh recruitment, sources said.

Concerned over the move, some senior police officials reportedly opposed the idea.

Source said the security squad comprised police commandoes, trained by US experts, would be led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police whose selection was made today as all of the DSP rank officers were called for interview.

But some of them slipped after getting information that they would be posted for security duty of ex-premiers. However, after long sessions of interviews, the selection became possible.

To avoid inconvenience while performing VVIP security duty, the Rawalpindi police had proposed a helipad in Gujar Khan in the native town of Raja Pervez Ashraf.