PESHAWAR, Feb 23: In view of the recent incidents of suicide attacks on official buildings and personnel of law-enforcement agencies, extraordinary security arrangements will be made for the forthcoming session of the provincial assembly scheduled to start from February 28 in the newly-constructed building.

A meeting chaired by the speaker, Bakht Jehan Khan, decided against allowing guests into the assembly building. Gate staff was directed to carry out search of entrants and their vehicles with great care.

The meeting was attended by provincial Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai, opposition leader Shehzada Gustasip Khan and parliamentary leaders of the various political parties.

The meeting reviewed the complaints made by the security staff against guests “disallowing their search and creating problems for them”.

Taking note of the situation, the speaker asked the members to avoid bringing guests with them during the session and cooperate with the security staff regarding their body search, carried out for their own safety.

Sources said the speaker had time and again requested cooperation from both the treasury and opposition members, explaining that without their support it would be difficult for the staff to handle the situation properly.

According to the sources, there are several MPAs who frequently invite guests. Some of these guests are habitual to creating a scene when asked to undergo search. This leads to complaints being registered with the Assembly Secretariat in almost every session of the house.