Security plan finalised for PDM’s power show

Opposition’s maiden rally in Hyd to be manned by over 2,500 policemen

HYDERABAD:

The Pakistan Democratic Movement's February 9 power show in Hyderabad will be manned by over 2,500 policemen headed by senior superintendents of police (SSPs) of nine districts of the province. According to the security plan prepared by the police on Sunday, the site of the public meeting as well as the routes leading towards that area has been divided into six security zones, four of which will be supervised by the SSPs.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Ismal-Fazl leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman besides other PDM leaders are scheduled to address the event. However, following the accident of her daughter, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Maryam Nawaz Vice President has announced that she would not be attending the public meeting.

The event is to take place on a ground along Hyderabad Bypass, which connects M9 Motorway with the National Highway for traffic moving from the port city to all parts of the country. The heavy traffic coming from Karachi will be diverted to the Indus Highway from Jamshoro district and will be barred from taking its usual route of the National Highway.

The diversion will start from 7am and will last till the conclusion of the event.

Similarly, light transport vehicles and cars will also not be allowed to take the route of the Hyderabad bypass and they will be diverted towards Kotri town of Jamshoro. Heavy transport vehicles travelling from upcountry towards Karachi will be diverted from the National Highway to the Indus Highway in Noshehro Feroze district via Dadu-Moro bridge on the Indus River.

Some 10 entrance gates have been set up for the public with a deployment of 164 cops. Each of the gates will be manned by nine personnel. The outer cordon will be covered 176 policemen. Another 502 personnel, headed by two SSPs, are being deployed at the nine parking lots for the public.

Meanwhile, parking for the top leadership has been arranged behind the stage while the secondary tier of the leadership will also get parking by the stage's side. The main stage is 120 feet long and 32 feet wide and the side stages are 40-feet-long and 16-feet-wide.

Moreover, the special branch's bomb disposal squad will comb the place of the public meeting and submit the clearance certificate to the concerned station house officer. The branch will also install the walk through gates.

SSP Larkana Masood Ahmed Bangash has been given responsibility to supervise the stage security, assisted by 60 personnel of special services unit (SSU) Karachi besides ladies police and some officers from Hyderabad. The protective areas, the gulf between the stage and the public, will be covered by 186 personnel including 19 lady policewomen.

The responsibility of security for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Molana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N's leader Maryam Nawaz, has been given to SSP Hyderabad Abdul Salam Shaikh.

Separate security protocol arrangements have also been made for the leaders of other allied parties in the PDM. Special security arrangements have also been made at the Rawal farmhouse of MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon, Shoro house of MPA Jam Khan Shoro, the circuit house, the Hyderabad club and Indus hotel.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday, PPP Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that the Hyderabad public meeting is going to be third biggest power show of the PDM in Sindh. Besides, PPP senator Sherry Rehman, MNA Faisal Kareem Kundi, MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon and some other leaders also visited the site of the public meeting to review the arrangements.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2021.