Anti-Pakistan banners displayed in capital

ISLAMABAD: Taking a serious notice of display of anti-Pakistan banners in the heart of the federal capital, the Ministry of Interior has directed the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies to hunt down the culprits. Over 21 banners kept hanging across major roads on the premises of Kohsar Police Station for over nine hours (from 4.30am to 1.30pm) on Tuesday, intelligence sources told The News.

The banners were removed by the police at 1.30pm after a public complaint. The police and district administration hierarchy deliberated on the issue individually and jointly. The chief commissioner directed the police to register an FIR against the anti-state elements.

In separate meetings, top police bosses constituted different teams to hunt down those involved. However, no concrete clue could be found to the culprits. Sources investigating the issue told The News that they were trying to locate the anti-state actors by using technology. They said two men riding motorcycles were grabbed by the Safe City Project CCTV camera hanging the banners onto the electricity poles near the National Press Club in the wee hours.

“We are certain that the controversial banners were not prepared in Islamabad or Rawalpindi but somewhere else, while the people who hung them did not seem to be locals,” they said, adding, “We can seek help from a sensitive intelligence agency for arresting the gangsters.”