LAHORE: City police have been put on high-alert while additional elite police commandos have been deployed for the security of VVIPs following the intelligence agencies issued a strong threat-alert, indicating possible terror attacks on leading politicians including the Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.Sources claimed that the law enforcing agencies have been warned that terrorists were planning to assassinate high-profile personalities including Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry.
The intelligence officials have forwarded these threat-alert letters to Chief Secretary Punjab, Home Secretary, Inspector General of Punjab Police and CM’s Secretariat, urging the authorities to step up security for the VVIPs and high-profile personalities. “We have got some intelligence reports regarding possible terror attack on the chief minister of the province and other top political figures. The police have been put on their toe and we have taken several “important security measures” in this regard,” Lahore Operations Police Chief told reporters here on Thursday.Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said that additional elite police commandos would also be deployed on important points on the chief minister’s route during his movement in the provincial metropolis to ensure foolproof security. “We cannot disclose the confidential security plan to the press but we are confidently working on multiple lines as far as security of the CM and other important personalities is concerned,” he added.
The DIG (Operations) also said that police regularly receive intelligence reports regarding possible terror attacks on the religious places and assassinations of senior political and religious leaders. “But we cannot ignore such important and strong warnings. We are also in touch with the intelligence agencies in this regard,” he added.A senior official in the Punjab Government said that the Home Department had sent a fresh and strong threat-alert to the police and other law enforcement agencies the other day and warned that terrorists could target the top politicians, religious leaders and even the chief minister of the province.
According to the police sources, a special security plan has been put in place for the movement of the VVIPs in the City while a good number of plainclothesmen had also been deployed around key government installations to keep a vigilant eye on the activities of the miscreants. The latter has been forwarded to all the senior police officers in the province and heads of the security agencies, directing them to beef up security for the VVIPs and high-profile political and religious leaders.
Meanwhile, police sources said that the security around Masajids, Imambargahs, leading commercial centers and public places have also been stepped up to avoid any untoward happening. They said that thorough checking of bus stands, railway station and business centers is are also underway as armed police-patrolling has been intensified in the sensitive areas.Police sources further revealed that senior officers have been directed to clear the routes before the VVIPs movements and a monitoring cell has also been established to ensure foolproof security and coordinate with the relevant quarters in this regard. – Nation
