Impressed Pak wants to raise its own Black Cats

8220;We will send a copy of the SPG Act after consulting the government. There should not be any problem since the Act is an open document 8212; a regular Parliamentary Act. Once they Pakistanis have studied the Act, they plan to raise the force and then coordinate with India for training inputs,8221; the official said.

Till now the special training syllabus of the SPG has been a closely guarded secret. In fact, the SPG doesn8217;t reveal even the number of men on their rolls and also the specific place where they are trained in Delhi. The Bluebook, which contains critical information aboutdeployment, the complete security drill and the training is also a secret document.

The SPG Act simply outlines the basic functioning, duties and the command system of the force. The thing which went down extremely well with the Pakistani authorities was that the SPG was an independent body, not controlled by any ministry or authority.

Pakistan itself lacks a cohesive security agency. At present, the security duties are being handled by a group of some selected men, drawn from the Army, the state police and the federal police. 8220;There is no uniformity and no single command. Pakistan does not have a regular security drill. That is the reason that they want to raise a force like the SPG,8221; the official added.

The SPG men managed to create a favourable impression on Pakistani authorities even when they had gone as part of the advance party to check the security arrangements, first on February 12 and then again on February 17. 8220;Even then they expressed curiosity about the functioning and training of theSPG men,8221; the official said.

During Vajpayee8217;s Lahore visit, there were some unpleasant incidents involving the Pakistani security and the SPG. During the guard of honour, for instance, Pakistani securitymen did not want the SPG men close to Vajpayee. But the SPG men stood their ground till the Pakistani authorities relented.

The SPG, raised with the specific purpose of protecting the Prime Minister of the country, was proposed soon after the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her own security officers in 1984. It includes the 8220;best men8221; from various Central Police Organisations and the state police. 8220;They come on deputation for a maximum period of six years. They have to clear a proficiency test every year. If they fail, they are sent back to their parent cadre,8221; an official said.