LAHORE: In a bid to deal with terrorism, strengthen safety of passengers, crew and the security of railway installations across the country, the Pakistan Railways (PR) Police have sent 73 recently-recruited assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) to the Lahore’s Elite Police Training Centre for an eight-week specialised training course.

The training is aimed at enhancing the professional capabilities of PR Police officers, particularly in dealing with modern security challenges, responding to emergencies and ensuring effective protection of passengers, railway installations and train operations across the country. The training will also contribute towards further strengthening the security of train operations in Balochistan, where the railway network and train services face security challenges.

“It is the need of the hour to build the capacity of the PR Police for dealing with safety and security of passengers and protecting railway assets. Such training will also help them to effectively respond to terrorism, especially in trains during journeys in Balochistan,” commented an official of the PR Police while talking to Dawn on Sunday.

The 73 probationer ASIs will undergo a two-month professional training at the Elite Police Training Centre. “This is for the first time in railways history that its police officials have been sent for a specialised course to the elite police training school,” the official added.

Move aims to prepare 73 recently-recruited ASIs to effectively deal with terrorism, ensure safety of passengers and crew as well as safeguard PR installation

The expenses of the specialised training course will be borne by the Railways Police Training Fund to ensure quality and professional training in accordance with modern policing and security requirements.

According to Railways Police Inspector General Muhammad Wisal Fakhar Sultan, quality training was of fundamental importance in developing the professional capabilities of officers and preparing them to effectively perform their duties in the field.

In a statement, he said that all available resources would be utilised to provide the officers and personnel of Railways Police with the best possible training, and there would be no compromise on the quality of training.

“Professionally-trained officers would play a vital role in improving the overall performance of Railways Police and strengthening the security of passengers, railway installations and train operations throughout the country,” he said and emphasised that, particularly in view of the prevailing security situation and recent incidents of terrorism, modern and specialised training was essential for Railways Police.

“The enhanced capabilities of trained officers will help the department respond more effectively to security threats and ensure safer train operations, particularly on sensitive routes in Balochistan,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention that in July, this year, as many as 875 personnel and officers, including 87 women, joined the PR Police after completing the 69th recruitment course and the 2nd sub-inspector (legal) course at the Railways Police Training School, Walton (Lahore). The department completed recruitment to overcome shortage of personnel, and it felt that this round of recruitment was seriously needed after the March 11, 2025 hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express by terrorists.

Following the tragedy, the PR Police, last year, reportedly started sparing its constables and head constables in groups (50 in each group) for their deployment at key installations in the Quetta railway division. During their deployment, the contingents also received special training to deal with terrorist activities. Moreover, efforts to connect all 49 railway police stations with each other across the country were also underway.

A plan is also under consideration to reconstruct buildings of all police stations since the existing ones are in dilapidated condition. The online system’s salient features include digitisation of crime record, registration of FIR, human resource management information, access to crime data and criminal record and e-policing etc. In addition, the railways police were also being imparted basic training to deal with terrorism on the pattern of the counter terrorism department.

Since the PRs’ field formations are divided into eight divisions –Lahore, Mughalpura Workshop (Lahore), Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi, Sukkar and Multan, the Lahore division has a total of nine police stations, four in Rawalpindi, six in Peshawar, eight in Karachi, nine in Multan, and six each in Quetta and Sukkur.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2026