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itizens of Islamabad are still recovering from the aftermath of the suicide blast that killed 12 and injured many more. The attack took place next to the district courts complex, Sector G-11, on Tuesday, November 11 during the early hours of the day.
The attacker had reportedly intended to target a police van stationed outside the courts building, one of the busiest places of the city. The noise of the blast was heard in the neighbouring sectors. Following the incident, residents expressed concerns about their safety.
The situation has also compelled the administration to review its safety protocols and take more initiatives to secure the capital. A campaign has also been launched to brief the public on the special steps being taken to ensure their safety.
The district administration, with the help of the Interior Ministry, launched a Secure Neighbourhood Survey to enhance standards of public safety as part of a larger security strategy.
Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry along with the police chief and representatives from the district administration made the announcement about the survey.
According to the senator, the survey will allow the administration to ascertain who is occupying a house, shop or office in the capital. It will also record, among other things, information about the number of residents, their ages, their nationality and details on whether the place was rented or self-owned.
“The purpose of this survey is to enable Islamabad authorities to know who is residing or working in a house, shop or office,” he said.
In the next phase, all types of vehicles in the city will be required to carry electronic tags.
“There will be no vehicle in Islamabad without green tags that are cleared regarding the environment and electronic tags, which we also call M-Tag or e-tags, so every moment of any vehicle in Islamabad can be monitored,” Talal announced.
Public schools, colleges, businesses, traders, bodies and current and past officials will be taken on board to facilitate the survey.
The district administration, with the help of the Interior Ministry launched a Secure Neighbourhood Survey to enhance standards of public safety as part of a larger security strategy.
The senator also assured people that the information would “remain secure with government agencies and the Islamabad administration.”
As part of the initiative, the district administration has prepared the survey application (app) too and promoted it via official social media accounts. The application, ICT Household Survey, can be easily downloaded and the residents can add their details and submit. Door-to-door household surveys will also be started soon to make Islamabad “safe and secure.”
Earlier on the day of the attack, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, visited the courts and declared that soon no vehicle in Islamabad would be allowed to enter without an e-tag. “This will help us in tracing vehicles and to identify who was inside,” he said.
The city administration has also intensified operations against illegal residents in the city, emphasising that every undocumented individual must be identified and deported.
The capital police have also banned the entry of heavy traffic vehicles (buses, containers, trucks, loaders etc). “Heavy vehicles, will now be permitted to enter the city from 12 midnight to 5 am early morning,” an announcement from Islamabad Capital Territory police stated.
“This is not new for us,” Jamal Ahmed, a senior resident of Islamabad said, adding, “Whenever such incidents happen we see administration and police are quite active but, later on, their efforts diminish or their preferences change. “It is a bit like ‘firefighting’ and ‘politicking.’ These people use tragedies to their political advantage,” he said.
“We appreciate the new security measures. We genuinely do. But, sometimes, it feels as if all these measures are administration-centric rather than people-centric,” another resident Mehtab Hassan said.
“We do not feel safe. The administration should facilitate the people, instead of adding to their burdens,” said Hassan. “Remember the times when the city was converted into a fort with the walls of containers blocking all main roads and entrances leading to Islamabad?”
A few months earlier the district administration had also announced a similar campaign, stating that, starting from the end of July, all vehicles entering Islamabad will be required to have an M-Tag. Non-compliant vehicles will be denied entry. At that time the move was aimed at “streamlining traffic.”
The author is a staff reporter.He can be reached at vaqargillanigmail.com