Islamabad's new Counter Terrorism Force on verge of collapse
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ISLAMABAD: Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) of Islamabad is on the verge of collapse as its officials seem uninterested in working with the force due to a lack of perks and privileges, just four months after its start.
Four officials had resigned while over 20 submitted applications for their transfer to other wings of the police, Dawn has reported.
In the light of the National Action Plan (NAP), the CTF was constituted with the strength of 970 officials. In January 2018, the CTF started functioning with 380 officials, including 22 policewomen.
The senior officer said the reason behind the officials’ lack of interest in the force was an unattractive salary package, including perks and privileges. Even an allowance announced by the prime minister was not being given to the officials.
Dealing with terrorism is a very risky job and needs a lot of courage, the officer said, adding the morale of the officials should be kept high which can only be possible with better facilities, appreciation and perks and privileges.
Officials of the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department are getting a CTD allowance of Rs50,000. On other the hand, the prime minister had announced a CTF allowance of Rs7,490 for the officials of the force in the capital.
Initially, the Finance Division raised technical objections over the allowance but later agreed to release it. But at the same time, the Finance Division deducted the special allowance of Rs5,290 from the salaries of the officials.
The special allowance was being given to officials and officers of the police all over the country for the last couple of years.
Moreover, the officials of the CTF are getting the basic pay of 2011 even though they joined the force in 2017, the officer stated.
The matter was brought in the knowledge of the interior minister during his visit to the Police Lines Headquarters in March. The minister promised to resolve the issue and asked the police to approach him in writing.
