Islamabad schools and colleges to get arms licences

Islamabad

The government schools and colleges in Islamabad will get two to three licences of non-prohibited bore weapons as a counter-terrorism measure.

In this respect, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has asked such educational institutions overseen by it in the Islamabad Capital Territory to submit applications to the district administration for the purpose.

The move is part of a new standard operating procedure made by the FDE to ensure the foolproof security of the government’s schools and colleges in Islamabad, especially in light of the recent terrorist attacks on educational institutions in the country and threats to others.

According to a senior FDE official in the know, the number of arms weapons to be issued will be determined by the district administration on the basis of the number of students enrolled in a school or college, its location, terrorist threats to it and proximity to the nearest police station.

He said an educational institution would get three licences of non-prohibited bore weapons at maximum and that special arrangements were made to ensure the early issuance of licences.

The official said the new SOP had bound schools and colleges to hire trained private guards for deployment of trained private guards on rooftops and at gate and stealth placement to ensure the security of their respective premises.

He said the educational institutions were also asked to ensure the construction of unscalable boundary wall of at least eight feet height topped off with two feet high concertina wire; provision of metal detectors and under vehicle inspection mirrors to security guards; installation of walk-through gates and closed-circuit television cameras with 15 days memory backup; presence of emergency exits on the premises, and verification of the particulars of the owners of private vans engaged by schoolchildren.

The official said Rs580 million had already been spent for security checks at Islamabad's government schools totaling 422 and located in both urban and rural areas.