CPEC security audit to be conducted to raise special force

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday decided to conduct a security audit of all projects falling under the multibillion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to determine the exact number of personnel required for the upcoming Special Security Force, which will be established by December 2015.
This special security force will be headed by a general officer of the military’s Special Services Group (SSG).Pakistan decided to establish the Special Security Force of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel by December 2015 to ensure safety of the CPEC projects and the Ministry of Interior had earmarked funds for raising this force in the PSDP in the current fiscal year 2015-16.
“It has been decided that the private companies involved in the CPEC projects will provide $150,000 for security on an annual basis. In case of power sector projects, this amount will be recovered through tariff determined by the NEPRA fromthe consumers after generation of electricity from these projects,” official sources confirmed to The News here after attending a high-level meeting on the CPEC projects security here at the P Block auditorium on Tuesday.
Before establishing the Special Security Force (SSF), the execution of a few projects would start, and during this transition period, special arrangements would be made in consultation with the interior ministry which would depute law enforcing agencies personnel for security.
The Balochistan chief secretary told the meeting that the provincial government was all set to provide foolproof security to CPEC projects but it needed funds and capacity building of law enforcing agencies.
The exact strength of this special force will be determined after the completion of security audit of areas of projects under the CPEC. It is not yet confirmed but sources said that the SSF would be a mixture of trained personnel while new recruits would be given tough training by professional soldiers.
The government had allocated Rs 1 billion for raising six additional wings of the Special Security Division for the Chinese under the interior ministry against the total estimated cost of Rs 2.3 billion for this project. This project has not been approved by the competent forums such as the CDWP and ECNEC so far.
The ministry has been preparing the PC-1 for establishing this special security division which will be submitted to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission, according to the sources, showed its willingness to provide upfront funds for raising the special force if the ministry sought it through upcoming PC-1 for which the PC would make adjustments without changing the overall size of the current PSDP.