Punjab to fortify security of political, religious leaders

LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department has decided to enhance security arrangements for important political figures and religious leaders across province, The News has learnt.

Sources in the Home Department said the department had advised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab to enhance security arrangements for politicians and religious scholars and warned that there were reports of possible attacks on them.

The advice was given after the assassination of chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Sami group (JUI-S), Maulana Samiul Haq.

Sources said the interior ministry was considering to increase security of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) supremo, Mian Nawaz Sharif and other members of the Sharif family, former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ameer Senator Sirajul Haq, president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others.

A spokesperson for the IGP Punjab said that if the police would receive any letter from the authorities concerned regarding security of people, police were bound to provide them with security. The Punjab police had raised a new force to protect persons on high risk (PHR).