03 October 2004	Sunday	17 Shaban 1425

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PESHAWAR, Oct 2: An intelligence service has asked the provincial government to enhance security for top religious personalities and places of religious congregations in the city owing to high chances of suicide attacks on them, sources told Dawn here on Saturday.

A written information delivered to the NWFP government by an intelligence agency asked the provincial authorities to enhance security for religious leaders and places of congregations in and around the city to avert any terrorist incident in the coming days, sources said.

The intelligence agency alerted the provincial government after getting a report of the suicide attack by terrorists in the city, the sources said. But the provincial government did not take the matter seriously, they said and added that there was no improvement in security situation.

A senior police official admitted getting the same information from the NWFP government, but he said that security was on high alert since the operation in South Waziristan Agency.

"Yes, the government authorities have informed the police about the suicide bombing attempt by terrorists in the city, but we are already on high alert since the military operation against the foreign and tribal in the tribal region," said Masood Paracha, chief of the city police.

He said that the NWFP government had specified September for chances of terrorists attack and it passed without such incident. However, the sources said that the security agency did not Specify the month of September for such attack.

The non-seriousness of the government towards the official warning could be gauged from the security for the Jamaat-i- Islami's ongoing congregation at Jalozai Park, about 22km east of Peshawar.

The JI has given the responsibility of its security to the activists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and the police are seen deployed at some locations.

Security has been tightened only around the military installations and in the cantonment. The Military Police have erected barricades from all services roads towards cantonment and not allowing any vehicular after the sunset, until they explain their purpose to enter the 'sensitive area'.

However, security in other parts of the city remained unchanged as the police have not taken any extraordinary measures to protect the general public from terrorists' attack.