RAWALPINDI:
The police have tightened security around sensitive government installations, the airport, courts, mosques temples and churches due to an “imminent threat of terrorist attacks”.
The twin cities’ proximity to the restive tribal areas means they might be targeted in retaliation to the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan Agency, a senior Rawalpindi police officer told The Express Tribune on Sunday.
He said that after Peshawar, the city of Rawalpindi had suffered the worst retaliatory attacks to military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) when compared to other urban areas.
The police officer said terrorists had already announced they would target the twin cities, but so far, due to strict security measures put in place by law enforcement agencies, they had failed. He said that several suspected militants have been arrested.
“Out-of-order CCTV cameras in various markets have been repaired and security has also been tightened around government installations and places of worship, particularly those belonging to minorities,” the officer said. He said that all station house officers were asked to deploy police personnel outside large mosques and imambargahs during Friday and Tarawih prayers.
The steps were taken after a meeting in Islamabad on Saturday where Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed law enforcement agencies to be on high alert and enhance cooperation.
The minister had directed the police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies to ensure better coordination and increase search operations.
On Sunday, City Police Officer (CPO) Humayun Bashir Tarar held a meeting with members of district peace committees, traders’ unions and members of the national and provincial assemblies.
Extra police personnel have been deployed on all pickets and check points with additional focus on entrance and exit routes for the district.
The CPO urged traders, clerics and political leaders to ensure complete cooperation. He also asked clerics from various sects to forge unity among their ranks and take steps to overcome differences for the sake of peace in society.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a police spokesperson said joint search operations were being conducted in Pirwadhai, Joseph Colony, Sadiqabad, Faizabad and other rural areas.
Security around Adiala Jail is already on high alert as police and Rangers continue patrolling the surrounding areas, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2014.
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