• Says permission given to recruit 2,000 officials in police in two phases
• Air patrolling unit to initially patrol areas with high rate of burglaries, robberies

ISLAMABAD: There will be no hurdles for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in holding a rally in the federal capital if it does not take law into its hands, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday.

Speaking at a ceremony held to distribute cheques among families of martyred police officials, the minister said the capital police would handle the situation in a professional manner if PDM remained peaceful on reaching Islamabad.

“They came to the Election Commission earlier and behaved well and it was reciprocated from our side,” he said.

The minister said 2,000 officials would be recruited in the police in two phases and the permission in this regard as being issued. He said the capital police had more responsibilities than its counterparts in other parts of the country as there were frequent protests and rallies at D-Chowk.

Besides, due to the economic conditions, crime rate in the city has also increased, Mr Ahmed said.

He distributed cheques worth Rs47 million among the families of martyred personnel.

The minister said the government was taking sincere steps to improve the professional capabilities of the capital police, adding that the police were a frontline force and it was necessary to keep their morale high.

He said the air patrolling unit of the police, which consisted of high-tech drones and locators for live surveillance and tracking purposes, would initially patrol areas with high rate of burglaries, robberies, snatching, street crimes and auto theft.

He said apart from the airborne tracking and surveillance, it would also be responsible of providing additional support to the on-ground patrol and specialised teams of the police.

Equipping the police with latest technology would significantly help them ensure the safety of the public, decrease crime rate and consolidate the overall security of the federal capital.

He said Islamabad police would be made a model and most advanced police force in the country as they had adopted modern technology to tackle crimes, automate different processes and making the city safer for both residents and visitors.

He said heirs of the martyred police personnel would be covered under the package. He also promised to increase the salaries of Islamabad police besides starting a housing project for them.

The minister expressed the hope that allies of the government would vote for the election reforms, including the introduction of the electronic voting machine (EVM), which was a tool to stop rigging in elections.

He also advised the opposition to have patience due to the prevailing situation in Pakistan.

The government has completed three and a half years andelection preparations would be started after a year, he said.

There is no threat to Pakistan on its borders, Mr Ahmed said, adding but there was a conspiracy inside Pakistan to destabilise the country.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2021