PESHAWAR: New warning to illegal Afghan immigrants
By Shafiq Ahmad
PESHAWAR, April 16: Police have decided to arrest the Afghans living in the city and suburbs without valid documents as officials suspect that foreign elements were involved in the Thursday's missiles attack.
The decision was taken at a meeting of senior police officials presided over by Chief of Capital City Police Tanvir-ul-Haq Sipra. The officials met to give final shape to a security plan here at the police headquarters on Friday.
On the occasion, the police chief asked the officers to arrest the illegal Afghan immigrants living in Peshawar and on its outskirts. The meeting also decided to divide the city into four regions, including walled-city, cantonment, Kohat Road and University Town, to keep a vigilant eye on the activities of terrorists.
The police officers were ordered to keep strict check on pushcarts and immediately inform the bomb disposal squad if they found any unclaimed substance in markets or on roads.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Mr Sipra said that after the two terrorists attacks within a month in the city, they had decided to launch a survey of Afghan refugees and stop free movement of the Afghans living without valid refugee documents.
"We have requested the Afghan commissionerate to help the police in the survey as they have a record of the Afghan refugees," Mr Sipra said. The department had cancelled the leaves of police officials and enhanced patrolling in sensitive areas, he said. "We have also requested the Frontier Constabulary to patrol along with policemen in the areas adjacent to the tribal belt," Mr Sipra added.
CM CRITICIZE POLICE: Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday night and criticized police for their failure to maintain the law and order, said official sources.
Mr Durrani asked police officials to complete their inquiry into the attack at their earliest and criticized them for not completing the probe into the rocket attack occurred 25 days ago. The meeting was attended by IGP Riffat Pasha, Chief Secretary Ejaz Qureshi, Tanvir-ul-Haq Sipra, DIG (special branch) Khalid Masud.
