Pakistan bolsters civil defence as tensions escalate, war threat looms

Pakistan is gearing up its civil defence amid rising tension on the border and the threat of war to tackle any exigency if an armed conflict begins.

Talib Hussain, the civil defence officer in Rawalpindi, told Dawn that the department has activated its 14 posts in the garrison city due to rising tensions and the growing threat of military action in some form from across the border.

Moreover, all the leaves of the employees from the bomb disposal unit have been cancelled, and they have been deputed to the civil defence offices to work in two shifts.

The officer further said that several volunteers are being trained to overcome the shortage of staff. “Awareness drives have been started, and the civil defence volunteers are being trained in first aid, fire extinguishing, and other rescue work,” the officer added.

The volunteers are ready to deal with any unexpected situation. There were 10 volunteers in the 14 posts across the garrison city.

Due diligence is being followed in the recruitment and training of the volunteers, and the post warden has been asked to get a copy of the identity card, a police verification certificate, and a photograph from them.

The group warden will ensure that the volunteer does not have any criminal record and should not be involved in any wrong activity, he added.

Tension escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbours soon after 26 civilians were killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan army spokesperson apprised the mainstream political parties about the latest situation and preparedness of the armed forces to respond to any misadventure by the neighbouring nation.

The briefing was given by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. However, the main opposition party, PTI, did not attend the meeting.