LAHORE, March 10: Troops have been called in the city and elsewhere in the Punjab as a precaution, it was learnt on Monday.

The troops will start patrol from Tuesday evening as a show of strength and to convey a message to anti-state elements that the forces are all prepared to meet any eventuality. The troops will continue patrol of the routes of different processions and majalis till Muharram 12.

A senior Punjab administration official told Dawn on Monday that some 20 companies of the army would join law-enforcement agencies formally from Muharram 7 in Lahore.

Lahore city police chief Khwaja Khalid Farooq said the troops would work under the Punjab administration. “They will remain on call.”

He, however, was not sure as to how many companies of the army would perform Muharram duties. About their formal deployment, he said: “Each procession and majlis can’t be manned by the troops.”

Meanwhile, in view of the latest terrorist attacks, the Punjab police have beefed up security of foreign missions and installations.

“There are around 240 places housing foreigners, especially Americans, involved in different businesses in Lahore only,” a source said.

Officials say that extra security measures have been taken to guard installations and missions. Instructions have also been conveyed to foreigners to inform the police in advance about their movement to ensure their safety, they claim.

There is a round-the-clock deployment at the US Consulate and the British Council and other buildings and offices associated to them, the Lahore Cantonment police SP said. Barricades have also been set up around the installations, he added. Troops have already been deployed there.

However, he says there are few foreign officials working at the installations as most of them have left.

Moreover, security for the places of worship has been beefed up. The number of deployments at mosques, Imambargahs and churches has been doubled besides setting up police pickets outside them. Senior police officials hierarchy have also visited such places in Model Town division and reviewed measures after the attack on church. According to the Model Town division police SP, there are some 102 churches in his jurisdiction besides 56 processions and 612 majalis to be held during Muharram.

“Some 32 pickets have been set up to guard these places in addition to patrol by different forces,” he said.

Furthermore, senior police and Punjab administration officials have held emergency meetings to review the law and order situation and arrangements for Muharram.