Stringent security measures adopted to counter terrorist threats

Islamabad
Following the alerts received from the sensitive intelligence agencies regarding threats from terrorist outfits, the law enforcement agencies have scaled up counter strategy to cover entire aspects of violence and to protect the metropolis on the occasion of 23rd March Parade.
Entire cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will remain under a kind of siege till March 23. Army troops, Rangers, FC and police have been deployed at different positions around the parade venue to ensure peace in the twin-cities, the people responsible for the security said.
Four-tier security has been positioned around the venue, the sources said adding that army commandos will be deployed at inner most and second layers of the security circle while Rangers have been placed with police at third loop and the police force were holding fourth ring of the security, the sources said, adding that plain-clothed personnel of civil and military spy agencies will keep eyes on activities of suspicious people. Police will be solely responsible for the overall security, the security officer maintained.
“The possible terrorism will be countered through hidden and visible security,” the sources said.
Hundreds of temporary pickets and checking points have been set up in and around the twin-cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to block entry of terrorist outfits into the cities, the sources said and added that as many as 53 entry points of the federal capital have been strongly sealed and police force have been deployed to combat any attempt of the terrorists to sneak into the city.
The parade venue and its surrounding areas have been marked as ‘Red Zone’ and it would be ‘no go area’ for the general public, the sources said. He said that the unconcerned people would not be permitted to enter the high security zone.
“The terrorists will be shot at sight”, the security officer said adding that all possible security measures would be adopted to counter the act of terrorism.
He said that to keep law and order in internal cordon and routes were the responsibility of Security Division while the operational police were responsible for outer circle, adding that the operational police have set up 20 points to check the people and filtration of vehicles.
Stringent security measures would be adopted to keep the order in the city, he said, adding a line has been drawn to separate the high security zone from the other areas of the city and heavy contingents of civil armed forces have been deployed at the border of the zone to block the irrelevant people from entering the zone. Private vehicles as well as the pedestrians would not be allowed to enter the high security zone, the sources said, adding the Diplomatic Enclave and Constitution Avenue have been marked as the high security zone, the security official said.
All the incoming roads have been barricaded and armed and personnel of civil armed forces would also be deployed at the barricades with the local police.
“Extra force has been deployed at sensitive points including Diplomatic Enclave, parliament building, presidency and prime minister secretariat”, the security officer said. Police leave had also been cancelled.
Officials including paramilitary force personnel would be kept alert to help the law enforcement agencies to avoid any violence. Special police squads have been detailed
to check hotels and guest houses in the capital and
to gather detailed informa-
tion about outsiders staying temporarily in Islamabad, sources said.
Nine special patrolling squads, equipped with latest technology, have been constituted for snap checking and combing of the sensitive areas and buildings in and around the city, sources said.
The special squads would cordon off during the daylight any area of the capital for surprise checking and, at nights different roads would be barricaded as general hold-up to check vehicles.
Reserves Police Force, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Anti Terrorist Cell (ATC) would be on alert to deal with any unpleasant situation. Military, Naval and Air Force police are helping the Islamabad Traffic Police for maintaining flow of traffic on arteries of the main roads, which are closed for the general traffic.