ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: The standard operating procedures (SOPs) evolved by the Punjab government for the Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran’s long march were approved at a high-level meeting on Saturday. Interior Minister Rehman Malik chaired the meeting.

It reviewed the law and order situation and security arrangements for the march.

Under the SOPs, the organisers will be required to provide a list of all vehicles being used for the march, nominate a group leader for every vehicle and communicate their names and cell-phone numbers to the district administration and police.

Every vehicle will be searched and scanned and handed over to the group leader after clearance.

The organisers will also be required to provide a list of participants of the march travelling in buses with their CNIC numbers to the district administration. Cell-phone numbers and CNICs of drivers and conductors of buses must also be provided to police. No vehicle will be allowed to join the caravan without security clearance.

The organisers will also be required to specify to the police all the places where the participants would be staying during the march, for security sweeping and clearance.

The minister said owners of the houses where the participants of the march would stay, would have to ensure that no terrorist or miscreant stayed at their houses. Owners of the houses will have to submit certificates to this effect.

Similar instructions will be issued to hotels, guest houses, hostels and madressahs on the route of the march and the head of every establishment shall submit a certificate about the people staying with him.

Representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab police said that according to credible intelligence information, Dr Tahirul Qadri and participants of the march faced an imminent threat of an attack by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and other terrorist groups.

The minister instructed the administrations of Punjab, KP and Islamabad to take foolproof security measures to protect Dr Qadri and other participants of the march.Besides representatives of the Inter Services Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, Frontier Corps and Punjab and Sindh Rangers, the meeting was also attended by the home secretaries of Punjab and KP as well as officials of the police and district administrations from Punjab, Sindh, KP, Azad Kashmir and Islamabad.