Pakistani Capital City To Have New Security System

Islamabad, March 17, IRNA – The Pakistani government has decided to deploy paramilitary troops for security of the capital Islamabad following this month’s militants’ deadly suicide attack in a local court that had killed 11 people, officials have said. The Islamabad police had been under fire for security lapse and a delayed response to the March 3 brazen attack in one of the sensitive areas in Islamabad. Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who is also directly responsible for security of the capital city, presided over a high level meeting and decided to put in place a new security system for the capital city. The Minister told the meeting that paramilitary troops, the Rangers, have been given this extra responsibility to make Islamabad a safer city ensuring “security of life and property of every resident and giving extra confidence to the people of Islamabad,” the Interior Ministry said. The new operational strategy should be visible on the streets of Islamabad by April 15, the Minister said at the meeting attended by senior police officials, commandant of paramilitary forces and head of the Federal Investigation Agency. The Minister gave directions for immediate purchase of patrolling vehicles along with the recruitment of trained retired army personnel in police. He also directed police to train some of its personnel on the pattern of Elite Police Force, an official statement said. The parliament had also shown dissatisfaction at the poor response to the terror attack on the court and the Supreme Court had ordered installation of CCTV camera in all courts in the capital and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi. This is the first time that paramilitary troops will be permanently deployed in Islamabad. In the past they had been occasionally called out in case of major threats or to deal big protests. A judge and five lawyers were among those killed in the terror attack. A little known militant group “Ahrar-ul-Hind” had claimed responsibility for the attack. Days earlier an intelligence report presented in the parliament had warned against terror threats to Islamabad. The Interior Minister had played down the threats perception that time./end