RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Home Department has directed the city police officer and the deputy commissioner to send notices to the managements of Chinese installations (non-CPEC) to disengage self-recruited security guards forthwith or get them trained by government-approved institutions.

The project managements of non-CPEC installations were to be issued a deadline of one week to get their security guards trained from notified training institutions/schools or other law enforcement agencies or remove them, failure of which would lead to cancellation of the NOCs and sealing/closure of the project sites.

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The move came about after a joint audit report conducted by the Special Branch Punjab found security loopholes, self-recruited guards and some Chinese installations (non-CPEC) even without security guards.

Following the Home Department’s directives, the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi has directed the city police officer (CPO), the senior superintendant (SSP) Special Branch, district officer of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), director Intelligence Bureau (IB) Rawalpindi and other relevant authorities to submit a report regarding the deployment of private security guards at identified Chinese projects after removal of observations within the shortest time for submission to the Home Department.

The joint security audit report conducted early this year by the Special Branch showed self-recruited guards in the installations with some of them even having no security guards at all.

The Home Department sought clearance of the pendency of verification cases of security guards from notified institutions and schools within a week otherwise their NOCs would be cancelled and the project sites sealed.

The audit report shared by the Special Branch contained details of self-recruited guards and Chinese installations in different districts.

The Home Department directed the authorities concerned to ensure the implementation of the decisions taken at a meeting held in December 2023 and furnish the detailed updated compliance status.

The police and district administration were also directed to ensure the verification of security guards from Special Branch.

Hiring of security guards from a registered private security company for the installations without security guards was also mentioned in the audit report.

It added that warning notices may be issued to the project managements to forthwith disengage the self-recruited security guards.

The police and district administration were also directed to ensure security measures in all CPEC/non-CPEC projects/ installations.

They were also directed to furnish a compliance report on the issue within the shortest possible time for the perusal of the home department.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024