Police Security for Government Officials ONLY!

Daily Times, March 20, 2006
Police will escort government officials
By Shahzad Malik

ISLAMABAD: The district administrations in the federal and provincial capitals have been directed to provide police escorts to government officials working at the Presidency, Prime Minister’s House, PM Secretariat, and governors’ and chief ministers’ houses when they go to and from work.

A list of officials working at these places has been provided to the authorities concerned, sources told Daily Times. The step has been taken keeping in view the ongoing military operations in the tribal area and Balochistan.

The intelligence agencies have submitted reports to the Interior Ministry mentioning the possibility of a strong backlash from militants against the ongoing operations.

According to the reports, the militants could target vehicles carrying the officials working at these sensitive places, the sources said. They said militants and members of banned religious groups could also exploit the situation and take officials hostage to press the government to fulfil their demands.

In light of these reports, official monograms have been removed from the vehicles carrying the officials, the sources said.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened after a bomb attack on a police patrol in Dera Ismail Khan in which seven police and Frontier Constabulary officials were killed.

The police chiefs of the four provinces and federal capital have been asked to enhance security around sensitive places and conduct raids to clamp down on ‘miscreants’.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Unit of the Federal Investigation Agency was asked to assist the team investigating the DI Khan bomb blast, the sources said.

Two injured cops, Nashir Hussain and Izzat Khan, were brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences here on Sunday for treatment.