August 18, 2006	Friday	Rajab 22, 1427

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LAHORE, Aug 17: Over two-dozen `cronies’ of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi bade him farewell at the Lahore airport on Thursday morning after violating all security checks.

Sources in the Civil Aviation Authority told Dawn that a group of 25 government officials and chief minister’s friends breached entire security just to see him board the London-bound PK-757.

There are 14 security points at the Lahore airport — seven manned by ASF, two by immigration, three by the national airline and one each by the anti-narcotics force and customs.

“Nowhere in the world such a large number of (unauthorised) persons are allowed to breach security at the airports on the pretext of seeing off a VVIP,” says an immigration officer.

He said that the government must take immediate steps to stop this tradition otherwise it could lead to a security lapse. “Under the immigration laws, no unauthorised person is allowed beyond the briefing area - the point of issuance of boarding card,” he explained.

ASF Commander Lt-Col Farhat Pervaiz Kiyani (retired) said that only those people were allowed to go beyond the briefing area that were issued security passes. However, he refused to disclose the number of people allowed to see off the chief minister beyond the briefing area.

Sources said the tradition was not new as a number of people had breached airport security on such occasions in the past. The Airport Security Force (ASF) was supposed to issue security passes in such cases, but influential people seldom bothered to follow the rules.

Accompanied by wife and son Rasakh Elahi, the chief minister left here for Britain on a week-long ‘private’ visit.