ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to procure bulletproof vehicles for the civil armed forces and equip them with modern weaponry to tackle terrorism in an effective manner.

The decision was taken at a civil armed forces comm­and conference held on Wed­nesday with Interior Mini­s­ter Ahsan Iqbal in the chair.

The meeting was attended by personnel of the Frontier Constabu­lary (FC), Pakistan Rangers, Sindh and Punjab; Frontier Corps (FC), Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts, and Pakistan Coast Guard and officials from the interior ministry. They reviewed border management and the country’s security situation.

The interior minister highlighted the importance of the role of the civil armed forces in the security and development of Pakistan. He lauded the services rendered by them in the impro­vement of law and order and border management.

He said that due to geo-strategic challenges in the region, the level of operational preparedness of the civil armed forces should be based on well concerted strategy in order to safeguard peace and stability in the country.

“Our economy is at the take off stage and we must preserve security and stability to harness opportunities presented by the China-Pak­istan Economic Corridor.”

Mr Iqbal asserted that the civil armed forces would be equipped with modern training, equipment and technology to enhance their capacity and efficiency. He direc­ted that bulletproof vehicles should be procured on a priority basis to protect lives of the jawans and officials.

The interior minister also directed officials that difficulties faced in the procurement of modern ammunition and arsenal to counter the menace of terrorism should be overcome.

“The civil armed forces are the eyes and ears of the government in order to maintain peace and enhancing their capabilities will secure our borders as well internal security,” he explained, adding that the armed forces must be proactive to address the country’s current security challenges.

The minister informed the meeting that the command conference would be held on a quarterly basis to review progress. He said that communication bet­ween the civil armed forces and all stakeholders should be synergised in order to have a greater operational impact. He added that the Pakistan Coast Guard had assumed a crucial role in view of CPEC and maritime security.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2018