The Federal Criminal Prosecution Service (FCPS) on Wednesday inaugurated the Federal Centre for Professional Development (FCPD), a new training and research facility established with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan to strengthen prosecutorial capacity and support criminal justice reforms.
The centre was inaugurated at the FCPS headquarters under the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control. The ceremony was jointly presided over by Federal Prosecutor General Ghulam Sarwar Nahang and UNODC Pakistan Country Representative Troels Vester.
Programme Officer of the UNODC Pakistan Counter-Terrorism Programme Farhan Nawazish attended the event as the guest of honour. Assistant Inspector General of Police Tahir Kazmi, District Public Prosecutor Muhammad Naseem Zia, senior prosecutors and other officials were also present.
The ceremony began with a ribbon-cutting event followed by a tour of the newly established facility. The centre includes a modern training room for prosecutors, a legal research library and conference and meeting facilities.
Addressing the ceremony, Federal Prosecutor General Ghulam Sarwar Nahang said the establishment of the centre was made possible through the support of UNODC.
He said the Federal Criminal Prosecution Service was created to separate prosecutorial functions from the police at the federal level and now represents the state before courts at all levels of the judiciary.
“This service was established to separate prosecutorial functions from the police at the federal level for the first time. Today, it effectively represents the state at all levels of the judiciary, from magistrate and sessions courts in Islamabad to the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he said.
Nahang said the centre would serve as an important institution for the training of prosecutors, legal research and institutional development.
Speaking on the occasion, Troels Vester said UNODC had provided information technology equipment, training infrastructure and library resources for the facility as part of its support for rule-of-law institutions in Pakistan.
Vester, who has extensive experience in criminal justice reforms and previously served as a prosecutor in Denmark, praised the leadership of the Federal Prosecutor General and said UNODC looked forward to expanding cooperation with the Federal Criminal Prosecution Service through specialized training programmes, knowledge-sharing initiatives and institutional capacity-building efforts.
The establishment of the centre marks another step in ongoing efforts to modernize the criminal justice system and enhance the professional skills of prosecutors in the federal capital.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, commemorative shields were presented to distinguished guests and officials in recognition of their services and cooperation. Troels Vester was among those honoured for his continued support and partnership with the Federal Criminal Prosecution Service.