ISLAMABAD: The capital police have issued “security notices” to several prominent personalities, asking them to make their own security arrangements as the force is overstretched due to Covid-19 duties and many of the personnel have tested positive for the virus in recent days, Dawn learnt on Tuesday.

Notices were sent to nearly 40 prominent personalities, including leaders of political and religious parties, businessmen and lawyers, senior police officials said on condition of anonymity.

“Keeping in view threats faced by these prominent persons, the police should provide them with security detail, but the police force is facing manpower shortage due to Covid-19 prevention duties and the virus is also spreading among officers and officials,” said the senior officials.

Thus, police have been approaching these persons and handing over notices to ensure they are informed about the threats and make their own security arrangements, added the officials.

DIG, however, says no special directive given to anyone

The notices were issued by the station house officers of the areas where their houses and offices were located, they said.

Police were also asking these personalities to submit details of their security guards and staff so that they could be verified to avoid penetration of suspicious elements.

Other measures that the personalities were being asked by police to take are installing barbed wire around residences and offices, raising height of walls around these structures, installing barriers outside houses and offices, security guards on rooftops, daily checking of security guards’ weapons, security guards to be equipped with necessary weapons and personal protection equipment, installing CCTV and walk-through gates, searching people with metal detectors and recording their details.

When Dawn got in touch with Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (operations) Waqar Uddin Syed, he said a high alert had been declared in the capital due to a general threat, but no special directives were issued to any personality.

Senior lawyer Akram Sheikh, one of the personalities who received the security notice, told Dawn that “it is very strange that instead of providing security cover to me, the police are frightening me”.

“I am a senior lawyer and don’t have any affiliation with anyone but I think the government does not want to see me in Pakistan anymore and is threatening me to leave the country.”

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020