KARACHI, May 27: The security, beefed up at mosques and imambargahs in Karachi in the backdrop of the Bari Imam bombing in Islamabad, turned out to be a difficult task for the police who were already engaged in the protocol and security duties for President Musharraf on Friday.

Though the city police chief claimed that the security was beefed up at all the shrines and mosques in the city for the Friday prayers, but it remained limited to symbolic effort.

In many areas, respective police stations told the managements of mosques and imambargahs to arrange the security for themselves for the obvious reasons.

The MMA protest rally was already scheduled to be taken out at M.A. Jinnah Road on Friday. TPOs and DSPs of various towns were told to perform dual duty and also visit the M.A. Jinnah Road for the rally. Besides, reserve police from training college were requisitioned for the rally.

However, the Karachi police lacked contingency plan for a security situation at the various religious shrines following the bomb explosion at Bari Imam.

When the president visits the city, security forces are generally deployed from airport to the Army House. On Friday, the entire 24km route from Army House to the Steel Mills was secured with police and Rangers employing almost double force required in the normal circumstances as the president had to visit the Steel Mills, said a senior police official requesting anonymity.

A resident of Defence, Adnan Razi told Dawn that there was no policeman posted at Masjid-i-Ayaz Phase-II Extension for the security of faithful during Friday prayers.

Elsewhere in the city, only at main imambargahs and mosques symbolic presences of police were seen. Officers right from the TPO level to constables were on the road for the VVIP duty since early Friday morning when the president landed in Karachi.

Requesting anonymity, a senior police officer said that security duty was a routine affair before the suicide attacks on President Musharraf, but things changed and threat-based security cover was employed whenever the president moved. Roads opening at the service lanes and main Sharea Faisal are required to be sealed by erecting iron bars and chaining them so that even cyclist may not pass through.

Petrol pumps are required to be closed down and iron barriers which have become a permanent feature at the pumps along the Sharea Faisal are put in place.

“Often police stations fall empty when the president or prime minister visits the city, lodging an FIR becomes a daunting task for the public during the VVIP visits,” another police official remarked.

Police are withdrawn from public places, mosques and police stations requisition is made from the investigation wing of police, but the police on escort duties of ministers and advisors are not withdrawn for the VVIP duties.