ISLAMABAD, April 25: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani may be going to the Supreme Court on Thursday as an ordinary man but his government is certainly not taking any chances with his security on the occasion.

Islamabad police intensified security checks and patrols on the city roads and impounded about 100 motorcycles and cars for being driven by “unauthorised persons” as the interior ministry officials reviewed the extra security arrangements on Wednesday.

Police said six thieves and a drug trafficker also fell in their hands during the so-called ‘general hold up’ that was ordered by SSP Mohammad Yousuf Malik.Interior Minister Rehman Malik has ordered “foolproof security” around the Supreme Court, the Parliament House, the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s House on the D-Day. Unauthorised persons will not be let into the Red Zone where the buildings are located.

Two officials of the pro-PPP People’s Lawyers Forum, Shehzad Mir and Khurram Latif Khosa, meanwhile announced that 350 members of their organisation would go to the Supreme Court to support the prime minister. However, they will not force their way in if stopped, the officials said.

Helicopters will provide air surveillance to the Red Zone where the Constitution Avenue would be the focus of the heightened security. Scanners will be installed to screen the vehicles and people entering the avenue before being allowed into the cordoned off Red Zone.

There will be outer cordons also, manned by additional security staff and sharpshooters deployed on rooftops of nearby buildings and high points will be watching the scene on the ground to react to any suspicious movement.

IGP Bani Amin Khan will have the charge of overall security of Islamabad on the day. Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada and Deputy Commissioner Amir Ahmed Ali have been told to remain in the Red Zone to ensure security instructions are carried out efficiently.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has taken steps for proper court decorum and smooth functioning inside the court premises where security cameras have been installed.

Entry into the court will be through passes and into the Court Room No. 4, where a seven-member bench headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk will announce the verdict on contempt charge against the prime minister, will be restricted.

Security personnel have been instructed to show courtesy, dignity to the litigant parties and their counsel arriving at the court for their cases.

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