LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Tiger Force has got its headquarters in Lahore.

The PTI Punjab government has allowed the Tiger Force to operate from the Arfa Software Technology Park (ASTP). PTI leader from Sialkot and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, who is heading this force, will also sit in the Arfa Software Technology Park to look after the matters related to it.

“Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had set up a camp office at the 10th floor of the ASTP in order to see the people from his constituency. Later, his government directed the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to develop an application for the role of the Tiger Force and subsequently handed over this office to it (Tiger Force) for smooth functioning,” a senior Punjab government official told Dawn on Wednesday.

The PITB spokesman told Dawn that the government did not establish the Tiger Force headquarters in the CM camp office in ASTP. He said Mr Dar had visited CM camp office and the ASTP several times to develop Tiger Force App and he did not have any office or headquarters there.

The government had constituted Corona Relief Tiger Force (CRTF) to ensure implementation of SOPs aimed at reducing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. It had become formally operational in three provinces — Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — in May after an address to its members by PM Imran.

As many as 993,226 volunteers were registered for the Tiger Force in the country while their number is 647,411 in Punjab. Teachers, students, doctors, engineers, medical workers, lawyers, social workers and activists of all political parties are among these volunteers. The main duties of Tiger Force are to facilitate the functioning of utility stores, implement SOPs at mosques, help in the management of isolation and quarantine centres, and identify hoarders and profiteers and find out the deserving people in their locality and distribution of ration.

The volunteers would also be given training on security, quarantine, relief, health and awareness and duties would be assigned as per qualification and age. A code of conduct has also been issued for the volunteers.

The Tiger Force would work under the supervision of a district steering committee consisting of deputy commissioner (convener), district police officer, additional deputy commissioner (revenue), and all members of National Assembly and notables of the area. Similar committees have also been formed at tehsil and union council level.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2020