Security scene: Engineering varsity gets threatening letter

Police say security for the university has been improved.

LAHORE: Security at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) was made more stringent on Wednesday after the administration received a threatening letter.

UET Public Relations Officer Dr Tanvir Qasim said the anonymous letter had been received through post. He refused to give details of its contents.

Requesting anonymity, a UET official said that the letter had been received on Tuesday. “Terrorists claiming to be part of the Islamic State have threatened to bomb the university and its hostels,” he said. A senior police officer said there was only one sentence in the letter. “They have threatened a suicide attack. It does not mention any reason,” he said.

Operations DIG Dr Haider Ashraf said that security around the university had been made more stringent. “A search operation will also be launched in the UET hostels today,” he said.

“The letter could be a hoax. That can only be ascertained through a complete investigation. Until then, the threat will be taken seriously,” he said. The Civil Lines Police Division has also been asked to remain alert. Earlier, a threatening letter handed to a guard at Kinnaird College Lahore in October 2014 had been found to be a hoax.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2015.