November 26, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 1, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

RAWALPINDI, Nov 25: The federal government has directed all the provincial governments to declare high state of alert and take appropriate security measures during Eid days, an official source told Dawn on Tuesday.

A senior official said security was being stepped up throughout the country following the suicide attacks on the UK mission and a bank in Turkey that left at least 27 killed and more than 450 injured.

On Tuesday, the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) issued directives to all the provincial governments to declare high state of alert during Eid days, the source said.

As part of the security plan, thousands of police officials along with commandos are being deployed at sensitive places, leaves of police officials have been cancelled and all the provinces have been put on high alert, as the authorities are poring over their strategies for the security of mosques and Imambarghas.

“Amid fear of terrorist attacks, the provinces are mounting an unprecedented security for the Eid prayers,” a senior official said.

The District Police Officer (DPO) Rawalpindi Syed Moravat Ali Shah told Dawn that 3,000 police officials including the SPs, DSPs and inspectors would be deployed on security duty shortly after dawn on Wednesday.

The District Police Officer said the police officials from guard duties (guarding judges and other VIPs) had been withdrawn for Eid duty and they were going to be assigned patrolling in Rawalpindi.

As part of the security plan, a general holdup will be started about two hours before Eid prayers and it would continue till night, the DPO said.

In Islamabad, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police carried out a mock exercise to cope with a bomb blast. The exercise was carried out at Shaheed-a-Millat Secretariat.

The Rescue 15, ambulances, fire engines, bomb disposal experts and dozens of police officials took part in the exercise that also sparked panic among the passers-by and commuters.

“It was aimed to check how the police handle such incidents,” a senior police official said.