Avoiding collateral damage: Long march to approach shortly, Pindi admin ready

Police cancel staff leave, Rescue 1122, city admin prepped for untoward incidents.

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi administration and police have chalked out plans to ensure order and address any terrorist acts during the Minhajul Quran International (MQI) long march on Monday.

All public hospitals will be on high alert, while leaves for all the policemen have been cancelled as they have been called in for reinforcements in the form of 2,400 men from Punjab Constabulary (PC) and under-training policemen from the Police Training School, Rawat.

Though the city administration had not asked for the deployment of any army personnel in the garrison city, military personnel will remain on high alert to respond to any emergency during and after the planned long march, according to a senior district government official who asked not to be named.

As far as police preparations are concerned, all the reserve policemen had been called on duty and all the policemen deputed for VIP security and the security of polio vaccinators have been directed to report to their respective police stations.

All station house officers in Rawalpindi have been directed to ensure full staff presence on Sunday and Monday, the official said.

A special control room has been set up at Police Lines to monitor the long march and the security measures. Armed policemen and snipers will remain alert on the rooftops of sensitive buildings on Mall Road
and Benazir Bhutto Road (BBR).



The security of sensitive installations on BBR near Faizabad will be managed by army personnel for the next two days.

Separately, Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi finalised their plans to respond to any emergency situation during the long march.

A press statement from District Emergency Officer (DEO) Dr Abdul Rehman said eight ambulances, 12 fire trucks, three rescue recovery vehicles, two water tankers and 400 rescue workers will be put in the field on Sunday and Monday.

The rescuers will be deputed at Gujar Khan, Koral Chowk and Faizabad, along with their five designated stations in the city, said the DEO.

Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zaffar said MQI representatives had ensured the administration that the marchers coming from Lahore would go from Rawat and on to Islamabad via the Islamabad Expressway.

Caravans from the different parts of Rawalpindi will march on BBR before joining the long march at Faizabad on Monday, the DCO said.

DCO Zaffar said the organisers had informed the city administration that the marchers would spend the Sunday night at Sarai Alamgir and MQI head Tahirul Qadri would address the marchers in Gujar Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2013.