August 10, 2007	Friday	Rajab 25, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 9: The Punjab government has asked the police to prepare a contingency plan in the wake of intelligence reports about suicide/ bomb blasts on the eve of the Independence Day and submit a compliance report by Saturday (tomorrow).

Official sources told Dawn that the Ministry of Interior had written a letter to the home department following reports of impending attacks. The home department has, subsequently, directed the police and other law-enforcement agencies to take security measures and prepare a ‘terrorism response plan’.

The interior ministry letter states there are reports that Al Qaeda, in collusion with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi/radicals from Malakand Agency, is planning to carry out bomb blasts and suicide attacks against VVIPs and important installations.

The letter further states that to meet their objectives, the miscreants may resort to following activities:

1-Explosives in utility vehicles/trucks may by be carried to and detonated in Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta on any day of significant importance, i.e., Aug 14, 2007.

2-The government/private snatched vehicles/ambulances can also be used to achieve the objective.

3-Important government functionaries/heads may be targeted through suicide missions.

4-The children/families of the government officials may be kidnapped to demand the release of the Lal Masjid detainees.

The home department directed the police to prepare a security plan in accordance with its guidelines on the terrorism response plan.

The Punjab police have been put on high alert. The capital city police, after receiving the letter on Thursday, also issued directions to heighten security around important government offices and residences of foreigners.

A capital city police official privy to the development informed Dawn that more than 3,000 personnel were already on high alert. He said security would be beefed up further before the Independence Day.

He said the Governor’s House, the Chief Minister Secretariat and offices, the Civil Secretariat, the Lahore High Court, the Central Police Office, the Punjab Assembly, the Capital City Police Office, the Police Training School and offices and residences of foreigners were prime focus.

He said security around public places, including the railway station, bus terminals, parks and busy commercial hubs, was also being tightened.

POLICE SECURITY: An enhanced security is in places at police offices/stations which remain crowded.

Offices and establishments like the Central Police Office, the Capital City Police Office, the Qila Gujjar Singh Investigation Office, Qurban Lines, the District Police Lines, the Chuhng Police Training School, the SSP (operations) headquarters and offices of all superintendents of police are apparently well guarded.

A random survey of five city police stations reveals that an official is present at the entrance of each police station with a register to bring on record the name and whereabouts of each visitor.

Officials deployed at police stations of Sattukatla, Jauhar Town and Shadman were without metal detectors.

“We have been asked to arrange a metal detector on our own,” said an official of a police station.

Additional IG Malik Muhammad Iqbal, the capital city police officer, told Dawn that there was high alert in the city till further orders and the prime focus was on protecting important police establishments.

He said following a suicide attack in Hangu and one such attempt in Sargodha police training school, the capital city police were making security arrangements for the Chuhng police training school and district police lines in particular.

The CCPO said the security was further enhanced in the timings of parade and other gatherings and the Elite Force officials were deployed to avert any untoward situation.