Pakistan, EU sign MOU on law enforcement capacity building

Pakistan and the European Union Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for initiating a program of "Civilian Capacity Building for Law- Enforcement in Pakistan", officials said.

Last year the EU allocated 15 million euros (about 20 U.S. dollars) for a tailor made technical and financial cooperation program in the field of civilian capacity building for law enforcement and judicial authorities in Pakistan to foster stability and to promote good governance and the rule of law.

Under the MOU technical assistance will be extended to build the capacity of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the Finance Ministry said.

Technical assistance to build the capacity of provincial police forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces will be extended to handle criminal investigations.

Besides, technical assistance will also be provided to improve the ability of law enforcement agencies to handle media relations.

It also aimed at giving technical assistance to support more effective interaction between the prosecution service and the police by improving investigation standards while fully respecting the independence and impartiality of the prosecutor services.

The program will study to improve the understanding of governance issue in the border areas.

It will also work for the promotion of human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms, the statement said.

Human rights and gender issues will be given significant attention during the project implementation through sustainable training packages, it said.

The MOU was signed by Sibtain Fazal Halim, Pakistani Secretary of Economic Affairs Division, Ch. Qamar Zaman, Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Jan de Kok, EU Ambassador.

Source:Xinhua