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ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced to immediately increase the salaries of Islamabad Police at par with Punjab Police and an Executive Allowance for the officers of ICT Police as well as the Islamabad administration, on the pattern of provinces. The prime minister, addressing an event held at the Police Lines Headquarters here to pay tribute to the police force for their sacrifices and dutifulness, also announced to extend Shuhada Package to the families of the remaining 44 of total 64 officials of ICT Police martyred in the line of duty.
During the visit, the contingent of Islamabad Police gave guard of honour to the prime minister who later laid a wreath at the Martyrs Monument at the Police Lines and penned his remarks in the visitors’ book. He also offered Fateha for the police martyrs and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the police personnel.
Accompanied by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, IG Islamabad Police Ali Nasir Rizvi, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa and parliamentarians, he also interacted with the family of members of police Constable Abdul Hameed who embraced martyrdom in the line of duty during the protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on October 6, 2024.
Addressing the gathering, the prime minister instructed for an immediate completion of a Police Hospital at the Police Lines he had announced on June 21, 2023, assuring to remove all the impediments in the project.
He paid tribute to Constable Abdul Hameed for his sacrifices and also his family whom he found in high morale despite losing their dear one.
He particularly appreciated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and IG Islamabad for their efforts to facilitate the Islamabad Police in fulfillment of their duties. He instructed the interior minister to immediately initiate the recruitment of constables and officers in the ICT Police, purely on a merit basis, to overcome the shortage.
Prime Minister Shehbaz recalled and appreciated the dutifulness of ICT Police during the 2013-14 sit-in by PTI which badly impacted the national economy and also led to the postponement of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Several police officials including SP Asmat Junejo were injured as they struggled to overpower the rioters who attacked the parliament as well as Pakistan Television buildings, he recalled.
He also appreciated the ICT Police’s performance in professionally handling the recent PTI protest when a provincial government marched on Islamabad in sheer violation of the constitution at a time when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was in the capital and both sides agreed to enhance bilateral trade.
The prime minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-N, under the leadership of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, always reformed the police culture and the incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also pursuing the course.
Referring to his tenure as Punjab chief minister, he recounted the projects including the establishment of the first Safe City project, the counter-terrorism department, Elite Force, and Dolphin Force.
He also assured the federal government’s support for police reforms to the provincial governments and called for providing maximum resources and training of the police force to enhance their efficiency.
The prime minister, who earlier conferred Shujaat medals on two police officials, also asked the Cabinet Division to accomplish the process of conferment of Quaid-e-Azam Medal and other awards to the police.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday emphasised that the provision of quality education and technical training was the government’s top priority, as no nation can progress without a high-quality education system. He was chairing an important review meeting on Federal Education and Technical Training Affairs.
The Prime Minister stated that, in today’s education landscape, skills development, information technology, and digitization have become indispensable, stressing the urgent need to align Pakistan’s education system with these modern principles.
He further highlighted that, in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring no child in Pakistan is left out of school, the incumbent administration had implemented an educational emergency.
Additionally, he underscored the importance of holding a National Curriculum Summit to facilitate the introduction of a uniform education system across the country.
The Prime Minister directed relevant authorities to expedite the construction of Daanish Schools in underprivileged areas, including Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Balochistan.
He also instructed that daycare centers be established in all educational institutions in Islamabad to support the convenience of female teachers.
In his directive to set up e-libraries in parks and recreational areas of Islamabad, the Prime Minister emphasized that access to these libraries should be free, with complimentary internet facilities also provided.
The Prime Minister called for the formulation of a strategy to provide monthly stipends to female students in rural areas of Islamabad, aiming to increase enrollment in these schools.
“Technical training should be integrated into the curriculum of Islamabad schools,” the Prime Minister said. He added that students who had dropped out of education for any reason should be offered free technical training, and an awareness campaign should be launched to encourage them to return to school.
“Teachers are the builders of the nation,” he said, highlighting the critical need to establish a high-quality teacher training institution in Islamabad. He also directed a third-party audit of teacher training programs and the assessment of teachers’ skills.
Special attention, he noted, should be given to ensuring transparency and merit in teacher recruitment. Any negligence in this area, he warned, would not be tolerated.
He asked the relevant authorities to investigate why the buses provided for student transportation in Islamabad in 2017 had remained in disrepair for such an extended period.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Education briefed the Prime Minister on the steps taken by the ministry.
It was shared that, under the Prime Minister’s directive, midday meals for children in Islamabad schools had already been introduced, significantly improving enrollment figures.
The meeting also revealed that 100 Early Childhood Education centers had been established in Islamabad. Additionally, modern information technology and digital training centers had been set up in Islamabad’s colleges, offering courses in data science, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology, all linked to the country’s top universities.
Moreover, 50 digital hubs had been established in schools across rural Islamabad, while renovation work was underway at 167 school buildings in the capital.
The meeting informed that software technology parks were being developed in five model colleges in Islamabad.
Furthermore, it was announced that the 45 buses provided to schools in Islamabad, which had previously been in disrepair, had been repaired and were now being used to transport female students from rural areas to schools and colleges in Islamabad, benefiting 8,000 women. These buses are referred to as “Pink Buses.”
Smart classrooms, equipped with smart boards and digital screens, have also been established in Islamabad schools.
Additionally, work has begun on transitioning 100 schools in rural areas to solar energy under a public-private partnership.
In collaboration with the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), courses have been launched to teach Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Japanese, and German to female students.
The meeting was further informed that the construction of Daanish Schools in Islamabad, Shigar, Gilgit, and Bhimber is in the final stages. The Planning Commission has also granted the necessary approvals for Daanish Schools in Balochistan.
Finally, the Pakistan Education Fund is being set up to benefit students from underprivileged districts in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Balochistan, and former FATA regions, the meeting was informed.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ihsan Afzal, and other senior officials.
PM reviews arrangements for SCO meeting
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Islamabad and reviewed the arrangements for upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and other high officials were also present on this occasion.
During the visit, the Interior Minister and relevant authorities briefed the Prime Minister on the reception arrangements for the guests attending the SCO meeting.