ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: The federal government has provided VIP security cover to Pakistan People’s Party vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, a strong candidate for the post of prime minister.

Police said on Sunday that it was part of a security programme for important personalities, including former prime minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, PPP’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N president Shahbaz Sharif.

A senior security official said the four were getting a VIP security cover, not the VVIP cover which was meant only for the president and the prime minister.

VIP cover includes a pilot traffic police squad, armed policemen and vehicles equipped with jamming devices. The security codes are “Aftab” and “Mahtab” for the Sharif brothers and “Zafar” for Mr Zardari. The code name for Makhdoom Amin Fahim was yet to be decided.