PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The provincial government has asked police to tighten security of the foreign missions and government buildings to avert any possible sabotage act by the terrorist organisations, sources say.

They said that NWFP Home and Tribal Affairs Department had issued a letter to the provincial police officer, deputy inspectors general of police, all district police officers, district coordination officers, regional coordination officers, special branch police, capital city police and other relevant officers to make foolproof security arrangements to safeguard the foreign missions and government’s buildings in the province.

Official sources told Dawn that the letter was also issued to all the administrative secretaries on September 3, as confidential matter, asking them to be alert in view of the threats by the terrorists. The letter said that home and tribal affairs department had received credible information that Al-Rehman Trust formerly known as Jaish Mohammad had planned series of suicide and bomb attacks on foreign missions and government establishments throughout the province.

The letter, copies of which were also sent to the provincial governor and chief minister, also informed all law-enforcement agencies in the province, especially in the provincial capital to keep strict vigil on the movement of suspected persons to preempt any terrorist act.

The letter said that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mahsud and head of Swat Taliban Fazlullah and other second line militant leaders were planning attacks to create law and order situation and destabilise the government.

All factions of Taliban and some proscribed militant outfits in Frontier and Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata), the letter added, had been working under Baitullah Mahsud, whose prime aim was to target government buildings and kill innocent people.

The Taliban, it said, were making strenuous efforts to materialise their plans of attacking the foreign missions and government buildings as soon as possible to avenge the military operations against them in Fata and Swat. Officials said that militants were now planning to divert their sabotage activities to the urban areas of the province to compel the government to stop operation against them.

However, they said that the provincial government was in no mood to surrender to the terrorists and give them free hand. For this purpose, all the government departments, especially the hospitals, colleges and schools have been asked to get in touch with the police stations falling in their areas to be able to cope with any untoward incidents.

Officials said that they had also asked the city hospitals to provide arms to the watchmen and make arrangements for their training so they could meet any eventuality. Furthermore, officials said, the government was concerned about the health facilities and special instructions had been issued to all the hospitals in this regard to refrain from touching unclaimed luggage and inform the bomb disposal squad in case of spotting any such item.

All the departments, they said, had also been directed to evaluate and monitor their security arrangements to avoid any tragic incidents. Officials said that UN agencies had already been issued instructions in this regard and most of them had hired services of private security besides the deployment of police by the government