Fighting terror: High-level police meeting decides to beef up city security

FIRs would be registered against prayer leaders and mosque committees misusing the loudspeakers, says police official.

LAHORE:

A high-level police meeting on Wednesday decided to strictly implement the ban on the collection of donations by proscribed outfits and the misuse of loudspeakers.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Captain (retd) Amin Wains chaired the meeting held at the Police Lines to implement the National Action Plan announced by the prime minister earlier to deal with terrorism.

Operations DIG Dr Haider Ashraf, Investigation DIG Shahzad Sultan, Investigation SSP Rana Ayaz Salim and Special Branch officers attended the meeting.

Requesting anonymity, an official who attended the meeting said that FIRs would be registered against prayer leaders and mosque committees misusing the loudspeakers.

“Action will be taken against anyone who distributes hate material in any form. The ban on display of weapons, whether licensed or unlicensed, will be strictly implemented. In case of firing in the air from a licensed weapon, police will register an FIR and write a letter to the DCO for the cancellation of the licence,” the official said.

“Cases will be registered under the Foreigners Act against Afghan refugees who are residing in Pakistan with expired visas. A crackdown in this regard has already been started,” he said. He said that members of banned outfits would not be allowed to block roads. “We will not allow any banned militant outfit to sabotage the law and order situation in the city. We would deal with them strictly,” the official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2015.