LAHORE: Inspector General of Police Shoaib Dastagir says all available resources should be utilised under comprehensive strategies for ensuring security of religious congregations held at sensitive mosques and imambargahs.

He said that on Jummatul Wida, senior officers should personally inspect the security arrangements of religious places by going in the field whereas security for other events should also be heightened.

The IGP issued these directions while chairing a meeting of senior police officers he called to give final touches to the security arrangements for Chand Raat and Eid congregations across the province.

He directed the officers to deploy snipers on rooftops of worship places of minorities and commandos should be deployed in the vicinity of important markets and business centres. The IGP said the security of banks should be made more effective through increased patrolling hours.

He said wheeling and aerial firing on Chand Raat should be dealt with an iron hand and action should be taken against those disrupting smooth flow of traffic on roads. Intelligence-based search, sweep and combing operations by special police and other forces should be sped up especially near hotels, inns and slums near city bus terminals and documents of residents of such areas should be regularly checked.

Similarly, the patrolling in vicinity of sensitive religious places should be made more effective by the forces.

On the occasion, additional IG operations Inam Ghani briefed the IG police on security arrangements and said 90,499 officers and officials would perform security duties on special days. Among them, he said, 68,208 officers and officials are from Punjab police, 19,344 police volunteers and 3,027 officials are from special police wings.

He said on Jumatul wida 27,849 officers and officials would perform security duties.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2020