PESHAWAR/NOWSHERA: The Peshawar police have planned to suggest the sealing of the city’s educational institutions not complying with their security guidelines.

Peshawar SSP (operations) Abbas Majid Marwat told Dawn that the police had issued advisories to all educational institutions in the district asking them to strictly follow security protocols for the protection of their premises and security of students and staff members.

He said the police were currently registering FIRs against the school owners not following security guidelines and had planned to ask the government to seal the educational institutions without proper security arrangements after registration of FIR.

The SSP said the people and school administrations should extend a helping hand to the police against terrorism as without their help, it was very difficult to defeat the menace.

Police say FIRs being registered against schools ignoring security guidelines

He said the city police had so far registered FIRs against 100 educational institutions for not complying with security protocols under the KP Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments and Places (Security) Act 2015.

Mr Marwat said the city police’s high-ups had visited all major local educational institutions including University of Peshawar, Khyber Medical College, Institute of Management Sciences and other establishments, to review security arrangements.

“We have reviewed their (educational institutions’) security arrangements to check whether they meet the protocols,” he said, adding that police were working on a participatory security arrangements under which the owners and police will jointly share the responsibility.

“We are trying to help the owners of educational institutions,” he said, adding that the police had begun special patrolling arrangements of Anti-Terrorist Squad, Quick Response Force and elite fore on the city’s outskirts as well as sensitive areas.

Mr. Marwat said under the plan, such units would provide security to educational institutions, vulnerable establishments and areas adjacent to tribal areas.

He admitted that the police’s security burden had immensely increased in the aftermath of the Jan 20 terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University Charsadda as the situation required high vigilance on their part.

When contacted, SP (cantonment circle) Kashif Zulfiqar said the police were working on the participatory security mechanism to ensure protection of all educational institutions in the provincial capital.

He said under the mechanism, internal security as well as surveillance would be responsibility of educational institutions, while the police would be responsible for their external security.

Mr. Zulfiqar said the police’s cantonment circle had registered cases against more than 50 schools for not following security protocols and that they were constantly monitoring the situation.

Another police official said the provincial police chief had issued letters directing all regional police officers and district police officers across the province to ensure compliance with the security guidelines for the schools’ security in the aftermath of the Charsadda university attack.

He said the police had been directed to ensure that schools have hired guards, raised their boundary walls, installed barbed wires on the walls, and made other necessary security arrangements.

Prior to the BKU terrorist attack, the provincial capital was abuzz with the reports of the impending attacks on schools. The local educational institutions were closed for a day on January 16 over such reports.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS WARNED: Nowshera district police officer Wahid Mehmood on Monday warned all educational institutions in the district should arrange proper security for their premises otherwise cases would registered against their owners.

“As the first step, security advisory will be issued to educational institutions and in the second, FIRs will be lodged against those not following it,” he told reporters here.

The DPO said the police had already declared the security alert in the district after the Charsadda BKU attack.

“The patrolling has been increased, while security arrangements of all educational institutions have been assessed,” he added.

The DPO said installation of CCTV and SOS alert system had been made compulsory for educational institutions.

He said the police had carried out a search and strike operation on a daily basis with the Pakistan Army in the district and that illegal Afghan people would be dealt with strictly.

He asked the people to keep a close eye on the suspected people and inform the police immediately in case of any suspicious activity.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2016