April 7, 2003	Monday	Safar 4, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 6: The government has allowed allocation of local registration numbers for vehicles being used by the diplomats and staff of the US embassy and the British High Commission in the federal capital as well as in the four provinces.

Dawn learnt that in Islamabad the Motor Vehicle Registration Authority had been advised by the government to allocate about 150 numbers from the ‘IDS’ and ‘IDM’ series to the two diplomatic missions in Islamabad.

In the provinces, a similar action has been taken and the vehicles under use of offices and attached departments of the US embassy and the British High Commission will be carrying local registration numbers.

Sources in the Islamabad administration told Dawn that the step had been taken in response to a request by the two diplomatic missions, which felt insecure while moving around in the vehicle bearing registration numbers of diplomatic corps on red number plates.

“They (diplomatic mission officials) said amidst the prevailing situation in the country and keeping in view the public sentiments about war in Iraq it had become a security risk to move around in vehicles carrying diplomatic number plates,” the source in the Islamabad administration said.

“They said they could be easily identified through those number plates and become targets of terrorists,” the sources said.

In response to the request made by the US embassy and the British High Commission the government had allowed allocation of local registration numbers for the vehicles in use of these diplomatic missions and their staff.