CM for volunteer guards at shrines

Sharif says concerned sects should help police to ensure security at places of worship as well as shrines.

LAHORE: Volunteers belonging to the concerned sects should be assigned responsibilities, along with police, for ensuring security at  places of worship as well as shrines, said the chief minister on Tuesday.

Sharif said that the chief secretary should evolve a system for recruitment of volunteers and their training on modern lines should also be arranged. He said that home secretary and inspector general of police should personally visit major shrines and imam bargahs and submit their recommendations for evolving a foolproof security plan.

Shahbaz Sharif also directed the chief secretary to make five shrines and imam bargahs a ‘model’ for the perfect security arrangements, following the recent attack on Hazrat Baba Farid Shakar Ganj’s shrine.

The meeting held at the Chief Minister’s on Tuesday was attended by the chief and home secretaries, the inspector general of police, commissioner and the regional police officer Sahiwal and other senior officers.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the tragic incident at the shrine of Hazrat Baba Farid Shakar Ganj.

Sharif stressed the need for coordination between intelligence agencies.

He added that they should share information with the local police for improving security at important places. During the meeting, the IGP and Sahiwal RPO gave a detailed briefing regarding the bomb blast at the shrine of Baba Farid Shakar Gunj. The meeting also offered fateha for those who were martyred in the tragic incident at Pakpattan.

The CM also assured the high-level meeting that had convened to review the security situation of the province, that the Punjab government was utilising all available resources for the maintenance of law and order.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2010.