Holistic approach: Guest houses come under police radar as part of Muharram security

To avoid terror activities, police compile data of visitors at guest houses in the city.

KARACHI: Law-enforcement agencies have started compiling the data of visitors staying at the guest houses of Karachi, especially those in Saddar, Cantt and Sohrab Goth, following threats of potential acts of terrorism during Muharram, The Express Tribune has learnt. 

The police officials have been directed by top officials to visit the guest houses within their jurisdictions and compile data on the visitors and arrest anyone who is found suspicious. There are over 500 guest houses in various parts of Karachi, including Preedy, Saddar, Orangi Town, Pirabad and Sohrab Goth.

In the first phase that started Monday night, Saddar police conducted raids at the guest houses. “If any suspected terrorist has arrived in the city he must need a place to stay, especially a guest house,” explained Saddar DSP Mukhtiar Khaskheli while talking to The Express Tribune. He was of the view that they did not, however, find anyone suspicious during the raids and no arrests were made.

In December 2009, the Karachi police searched a hotel in Saddar and found the luggage of three of the five US nationals arrested in Sargodha for their suspected militant links. The police seized a cell phone and a book from the bags.



Police sources told The Express Tribune that the aim behind the search was to avert any possible terror activity in this holy month as there were reports about the presence of suspected terrorists at guest houses in Karachi. These criminals have the intention of carrying out terror activities during Muharram.

“At most of the guest houses, the administration does not even check the CNICs of their visitors,” complained a senior police official. Nobody knows if the guest is innocent or a terrorist, he said, adding that even police officials do not visit such guest houses regularly.

On the other hand, the administrations of these guest houses claimed that they had all the records of the guests, who were allowed to stay only after they submitted the required documents.

“They [police] searched our hotel but did not find any suspected terrorists,” Khalil, a staff member of the United Hotel in Saddar, told The Express Tribune. He said that they had provided the details of the guests staying at their hotel to the police for their satisfaction.

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