KARACHI: The Sindh government has directed all private schools to finalise their security arrangements before the end of the winter vacation as the government is not in a position to ensure police deployment.

Briefing newsmen after a meeting with police and education department officials on Tuesday, Home Secretary Dr Niaz Ali Abbasi said that the government would ensure effective patrolling around the schools under threat.

Also read: Schools' security

He said that the government would issue arms licences to schools within a week if they required weapons.

There would be no compromise on the security of schoolchildren, he said, adding that the private schools were earning a lot of money in the form of fees and their management could hire private security guards.

He warned the schools management to prepare a specific security plan for their vans as terrorists could plant magnet bombs in school vans and other vehicles.

It was the responsibility of the managements of the schools to make foolproof security arrangements, including fencing around school buildings, installation of CCTV cameras, allowing parking of vehicles at some distance from the school and ensuring children’s drill within the premises of the school, he added.

He said the management of the schools had also been asked to minimise the entry-exit gates of the schools and also have different timings for their junior and senior sections.

They were also directed to provide relevant data about schoolchildren, staff, their timings to the police station concerned as well as to the SSP and the deputy commissioner concerned.

He said that the schools without boundary walls should immediately start construction of the boundary wall.

The home secretary said that the government was trying hard to eliminate terrorism.

He appealed to the people to come forward as the government alone could not fight the menace of extremism.

He said that the Sindh government was going to introduce a law through which the purchaser or tenants’ registration with police station concerned become mandatory.

He said that the people should keep an eye on any suspicious activity and should immediately report to the police if found any.

He also said that the chief minister would chair a meeting on Jan 8 to take major decision on the overall security situation. The Karachi corps commander and other senior officials would also attend the meeting, he added.

In reply to a question, he said that six convicts would be hanged at the central prisons of Karachi and Sukkur on Jan 13, 14 and 15 and for this purpose all arrangements had already been finalised.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2015

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