A busy day for city police

LAHORE: The security remained on high alert on Friday as armed policemen stood guard outside all places of worship during prayer hours.

It was an unusually busy day for the city’s police. A number of rallies were taken out against the Israeli aggression after the prayers, making the police’s job harder.

Earlier, the SSP Operations, Shafiq Gujjar, had said that since it was the first Friday after the attacks on Ahmadi worship places, extra police officials would be deployed across the city to avert any untoward situation.

All major roads were closed with barriers halting the movement of traffic during Friday prayers.

The main gates of all mosques were barricaded and people were permitted entry after a thorough security check. Extra police force was deployed in and around Jinnah Hospital where the victims of the last Friday’s attack are being treated.

Col (ret) Naseerul Haq, a representative of the Ahmadia community, said he was satisfied over the security provided at the worship places.

All 76 police stations in the city were directed to set up at least three check posts in their jurisdictions. Besides, all entry and exit points were also guarded and passage was granted after a security check.

Traffic jams were observed across the main roads in Garhi Shahu, Model Town, Ferozepur Road, Gulberg, Shadman, Muslim town, Walled City and The Mall due to staff security.

Rallies:

Following the prayers, some religious groups took to the streets in protest against the Israeli aggression and blasphemous caricatures. Jamatud Dawa organised a rally at Chauburji Chowk. The participants carried posters and banners with slogans inciting people to wage jihad against Israel. The protestors demanded the government to take action against Israel. They said that only way to establish peace in the Middle East was for the Muslim countries to declare war against Israel. In another protest near the Lahore Press Club, Markazi Jamiaat Ahle Hadees rallied for similar causes resulting in a traffic jam.

Search operation:

Police arrested a number of suspects in a search operation carried out late Thursday night. The Iqbal Town police arrested 45 suspects and recovered weapons from five of them. Model Town police caught 17 suspects, Cantt police arrested 14, Civil Lines 15 and Saddar police 16 suspects. By the end of the day, around 100 people had been arrested in raids conducted all over the city. A man was also arrested outside the Ahmadi worship site in Garhi Shahu. The police did not say whether it was a false alarm or otherwise.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2010.