ISLAMABAD: The interior minister has ordered the police and the administration of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to increase surveillance and improve intelligence coordination, while chairing a high-level meeting on current security challenges in the wake of the fresh wave of terrorism across the country.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Rawalpindi administrations to ensure increased surveillance at various bus stands, guest houses and hotels to monitor suspicious movements of outsiders from various parts of the country.

Mr Khan also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to keep a close watch on all elements involved in uploading controversial materials to the Internet that hurt the religious sentiments of certain segments of society.

The meeting was attended by, among others, the interior secretary, the sector commander of the Punjab Rangers, the chief commissioners of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the inspector general of Islamabad police, the Rawalpindi regional police officer and senior administration and police officials from the capital and Rawalpindi.

The interior minister directed for two separate committees, each consisting of four people, in ICT and Rawalpindi for the 24-hour monitoring and surveillance of multiple police check-posts with support extended by the police’s Special Branch.

The second committee, he said, will monitor combing operations on a daily basis with second-tier support from the Punjab Rangers to apprehend terrorists, their facilitators and any anti-state elements in the capital and its adjoining areas.

Emphasising the need for the optimum utilisation of the Safe City cameras, the minister directed the Islamabad police to adopt scientific methodsto reduce inconvenience caused to the public at various check-posts and halting points.

Reviewing the security of academic institutions and other important buildings in the twin cities, the minister said coordination between the police and Rangers should be improved further and the security of all academic institutions should be ensured.

Mr Khan also ordered the ICT administration to devise a comprehensive security plan for all the shrines in three days. Taking note of the closure of some shrines a few days ago by the ICT administration, the interior minister observed that the response to any threat is the provision of greater security rather than closing shrines to the public.

He also reviewed the progress of a traffic management plan put in place by the twin cities’ administrations to ease traffic congestion and facilitate commuters.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017