Interior ministry: Meeting takes stock of school, campus security

Nisar directs steps to secure media houses, key buildings

ISLAMABAD: Reviewing the security arrangements put in place for educational institutions, media houses and other important buildings, the country’s top security czar on Wednesday directed the relevant departments to adopt a ‘preventive and collective approach’ to counter the menace of terrorism.

According to an official statement, the meeting – convened under the chair of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan – reviewed the law and order issue and the security arrangements put in place for educational institutes, media houses and other important buildings.

The meeting, held at the Interior Ministry, also discussed the various measures being taken to further improve policing in the federal capital and the progress made so far on registration of international nongovernmental organisations (INGOs).

“Some important measures have been taken [to ensure security],” the statement said.



National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (Nacta) National Coordinator Saeed Ghani as well as Islamabad’s chief commissioner, inspector general police, deputy commissioner, SSP (operations), zonal SPs and senior officers of the interior ministry attended the meeting.

A participant of the meeting told The Express Tribune, Chaudhry Nisar directed the relevant departments to adopt a ‘preventive and collective approach’ to counter the menace of terrorism.

Following the January 20 terror attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, the Punjab government had announced closure of all public and private schools till January 31 on the pretext of cold wave. Nisar, however, was not happy with that decision, and had urged that all the provincial governments must not close schools over fear of terrorist attacks.

He had compared the closure of educational institutions with bowing down to terrorism.

“We are in a state of war and wars are not only fought with bullets. The psychological side to a war is also extremely important and we have an upper hand to this psychological war,” Nisar had told a press conference in Islamabad last week.

Nisar said he was advised by his party’s lawmaker, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, to shut down schools in Islamabad. However, he said, he refused to do so and told him that we would fight the terrorists.

The minister had also lauded efforts of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government against terrorism. “The K-P government has taken appreciable steps to deal with terrorism and their decision of not closing schools over terror threats is commendable,” he had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2016.