Lion’s share of Elite Force personnel deployed on VIP security detail

Only around 300 personnel deployed for general duty

Aaj Kal Report




LAHORE: Over 600 Elite Force personnel have either been deployed on VIP security detail, or as part of their protocol and just a over three hundred personnel are left to perform general duties.




According to official statistics available to Aaj Kal, the total strength of the Elite Force is 960, but with most personnel devoted to providing security to high-profile political leaders, it seems the general public has been left at the terrorists' mercy.




At least 33 personnel, including senior officials, are permanently attached to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif's security detail, along with a fleet of bulletproof double and single cabin vehicles. Another crew of 54 personnel, with a fleet of bulletproof and other vehicles, protects his brother, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif. At least 49 personnel and two vehicles are deployed at Raiwind Farms (Jati Umra), eight personnel protect Hamza Shahbaz, six personnel and vehicles for Salman Shahbaz, four personnel and vehicles for Captain (r) Safdar, nine personnel and vehicles for Imran Yousuf, 10 personnel are deployed to protect the chief minister's wife at 61-AC-1 Gulberg and 11 commandoes and a vehicle are deployed at the Shahbaz family residence.




In addition to this, 10 personnel and vehicles protect senior minister Raja Riaz, 15 protect Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, 33 for the US Consulate, 22 personnel, two vehicles are deployed for PML-Quaid chief Shujaat Hussain, 22 personnel and two vehicles are deployed for the protection of former CM Pervaiz Elahi, seven personnel are on Moonis Elahi's security detail, eight personnel are protecting Shaafe Hussain, 17 personnel and two vehicles are allocated for the protection of the Pak-India Friendship Bus, three personnel and a vehicle are protect the inspector general of Punjab police, eight personnel and vehicles are on the security of Zulfiqar Khosa and 14 personnel and vehicles are on the disposal of Dost Muhammad Khosa.




This depletion of the Elite Force's number has rendered it nearly incapable of reaching the scene of a crime or a terrorist attack on time, the statistics reveal. The Elite Force was set up on November 5, 1997 on the pattern of the United States' Rapid Response Force (RRF) to deal with any exigency such as recovery of hostages from criminals and terrorists or any other heinous crime. It went into operation on April 13, 1998, and consisted of the young personnel with commando training background. They were sent for another six-months' training at Elite Training School on the Bedian /Road to enable them to handle modern and sophisticated weapons. According to the report, Shahbaz Sharif, soon after assuming the office, had announced that the deployment of the Elite Force personnel on VIPs security would be curtailed. He had criticised the past regime for unfairly using the force, following which, the IGP had issued a circular warning not to use force personnel for VIPs security.