KARACHI: The abortive attack at an oil refinery in the oil installation area of Keamari in September had prompted a series of meetings between the stakeholders and law-enforcement agencies under the umbrella of the home department on how to ensure the security of the installations.

But the area has still not been secured as scores of minibuses continued to rumble through the sensitive zone on Thursday.

Oct 5 was set as a deadline for the complete closure of the oil installation area for the public.

Despite the fact that the country is witnessing frequent terror attacks and a serious security threat looms over the city, it took the authorities one month and 21 days to implement the security plan for the area.

Under the new security plan, only vehicles with stickers and passes would be allowed to enter the oil installation area.

Keamari SP Amir Farooqui told Dawn that they had implemented the security plan on Thursday and the movement of general transport had been restricted.

Though he admitted that the movement of minibuses passing through the area could not be stopped as transporters had taken the matter to court, he hoped that the issue would be resolved soon.

The area, the main source of business activity of bulk liquid petroleum, edible oil, sensitive chemicals, exportable molasses and ethanol, caters for the whole country’s needs.

It has a storage facility for POL and hazardous products ranging from 1,500 to 15,000 tonnes.

How the public movement could be restricted if minibuses continued to run through the area, sources among the stakeholders said.

Stakeholders comprise the Oil Companies Advisory Committee, the Terminals Association of Pakistan and the All Pakistan Tankers Owners Association.

Similarly, if the movement of the coal trucks continued in the sensitive area, what would be the use of these security checks, they wondered.

They also added that since streetlights in the oil installation area did not work, security issues during the night could not be properly addressed.

An official among the stakeholders seeking anonymity appreciated police efforts, but said Rangers did not seem to be taking due interest in the security of the area.

Before the implementation of the security plan for the oil installation area, police had claimed on Oct 19 that they had arrested suspects involved in the Sept 14 abortive attack on the oil refinery.

On the night of Sept 14, burqa-clad men armed with Kalashnikov rifles and hand-grenades tried to attack an oil terminal, but were thwarted by a security guard, who was gunned down by the suspects before they fled, official had said at that time.

‘It was a big attempt at terrorism averted by the police with the help of the brave guard,’ city police chief Waseem Ahmed told the media following the ‘abortive’ attack.
 
Police later found a large cache of rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, suicide vests, burqas and other items apparently dumped by the suspects near a sewer in the area.

Following the Sept 14 attack, the administration woke up to the situation and a series of meetings of all stakeholders and the administration took place agreeing that the area should be sealed for the public.

Oct 5 was set as a deadline to completely seal the oil installation area against public access.

However, as things melt down over the passage of time, the deadline could not be met, and Nov 5 was set as another deadline for the implementation of the security plan.

On Oct 22, the Karachi Port Trust wrote to the city police chief appreciating that the police had reacted promptly and taken coordinated action with other law-enforcement agencies for ensuring the security of the oil installation area.

The letter also said that the police and Rangers had been deployed in the oil installation area but had not been seen manning the entry and exit points. In view of the present situation, effective checking by the forces was essential, it added.