ISLAMABAD, May 12: The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has approved a security plan for Diplomatic Enclave costing over Rs33 million.

A response to the March 17 suicide attack on the Protestant International Church, the plan is aimed at strengthening the security of Diplomatic Enclave by erecting an 8.25 kilometre-long fence around the periphery. The cost of the fence, as worked out by the CDA, is estimated at Rs12 million.

The ICT chief commissioner, Mir Laiq Shah, who is also the CDA chairman, approved the plan devised by the authority on Saturday.

“The design of the fence is similar to the one erected along Islamabad Highway,” sources said.

Parts of the fence, constructed along the Islamabad Highway some years ago as part of the security plan for VVIP movement route of the president, were broken and railings stolen, sources said.

According to the rules of the procedure, the PC-1 has to be circulated atleast one month before its approval to the relevant departments. However, in case of PC-1 for security arrangements for Diplomatic Enclave, the practice was not followed.

The sources said the PC-1 was prepared after President Gen Pervez Musharraf gave directives for tightening security around Diplomatic Enclave.

To implement the directives, the additional secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abdur Rashid Khan, National Crisis Management Cell director-general, Brig Javed Cheema and the commandant, Islamabad Reserve Police, SP Ahsan Sadiq, inspected the area on March 28 and “desired” that estimates should be prepared for erection of fence around the Diplomatic Enclave, construction of guard-posts and gates, provision of flood-lights along the fence and security alarm system and construction of police post for Rescue 15 in the area.

On the “desire” of these officials, the CDA member (engineering) Abdus Salam Khan Wazir on April 3 submitted the estimates amounting to more than Rs33 million for the above works to the CDA chairman.

The breakdown of the cost for the items of work include Rs12 million for fence, Rs7 million for security alarm system, Rs1.04 million for construction of sentry posts, Rs0.75 million for gates and guard-rooms, Rs6 million for security-lights and Rs1.25 million for police post of Rescue 15. For contingency and departmental charges, an amount of more than Rs5 million has been fixed.

The plan was so hurriedly prepared that the relevant CDA officials did not sign the project document before its presentation in the meeting on Saturday.

Though the omission was pointed out during the meeting, it is not known whether the CDA chairman would take any action on this lapse by his departmental officers amounting to lack of coordination and control and administrative negligence in the authority.

According to the documents obtained by Dawn, CDA director Roads-I Pervaiz Anwar Cheema, CDA deputy D.G (Works) M. Anjum Malik and CDA director (programming and evaluation) Tanveer Hussain Shah had not signed the PC-1 when it was considered for approval.

Investigations show CDA’s director (works) was initially instructed to prepare an estimate for police posts in the Diplomatic Enclave on the pattern of Rescue 15. However, due to his non-availability, the deputy director and assistant director works were directed to prepare an estimate in consultation with the police authorities.

The sources said spending such a huge amount from the public exchequer on security around Diplomatic Enclave would still not avert suicide attacks.

World over, the authorities have expressed their inability to check the suicide attacks, which could happen anywhere.

Sources said the already fortified Diplomatic Enclave had a number of police personnel and security agencies posted on duty. Moreover, each embassy has a security staff and private security agencies. In addition, the constabulary and army have bunkers in the area, they added.