December 18, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1424

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

ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Army will provide aerial surveillance to ensure foolproof security during the Saarc summit scheduled to be held in the first week of next month, a meeting of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration was informed here on Wednesday.

“We have requested the Pakistan Army for the aerial surveillance during the Saarc summit and the army had agreed to do so,” the chief commissioner, Junaid Iqbal Chaudhary, told the meeting.

Meanwhile, a source told Dawn that troops of III Brigade would be deployed on Margalla Hills and some sensitive places in the Capital during the Summit.

The chief commissioner told the meeting that 5,000 security personnel will perform the duties during the event.

The meeting was attended by the officials of law-enforcement agencies, including ICT police, Intelligence Bureau and DG Health, DG Education and DG Lok Virsa.

“The law-enforcement agencies have been directed to be vigilant and to increase coordination so as to meet any untoward incident in the city”, he said.

About 1,500 personnel of Capital police and 3,500 security personnel from Punjab and NWFP, will be the part of the security team, he added.

“It is a great honour for us to host the meeting of six heads of state and we have accomplished all the necessary arrangements to welcome our honourable guests”, he added.

General hold-up will also be conducted in the seven days security schedule’ for the SAARC summit, he said and added that close circuit cameras will be installed at the entry and exit points of the capital to monitor the movement of suspicious elements.

Special traffic plan has been chalked out to ensure smooth flow of traffic and all the educational institutions will remain closed from December 28 to January 7.

The special branch of the police has been assigned to check guest houses, hotels and motels and initiate a special campaign against baggers. Mohammad Asghar adds:

The Capital Territory Police asked the provincial governments to provide it explosive blocking devices to provide security to the visiting heads of the States during the Saarc Summit, an official source said.

He added that the devices would be fitted either in the cars escorting the VVIPs or in the cars of the heads of the states. The request for the provision of devices was made in the wake of bomb blast in which President Musharraf’s convoy narrowly escaped on Sunday night, the source said.

The Punjab government will 2253 personnel, 61 jeeps/cars and 33 motorbikes to the ICT police.

Meanwhile, two special bullet proof cars would reach Islamabad from India for the use of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who will lead a 50-member delegation, to take part in the 12th Saarc summit.

A team of Indian commandos have already reached here to review the security arrangements.

The Indian security team held a meeting with foreign office officials on Tuesday during which they reviewed the arrangements, the source said.