LAHORE, March 8: Mismanagement at the reception for the Iranian president was linked to the absence of a central authority, at a recent meeting held to discuss a foreign ministry letter in this regard.

The protocol wing of the ministry had in a letter complained about mismanagement and lack of security at the December 26 Lahore civic reception for President Khatami. It had stated that the overall function arrangements were not up to the mark.

Official sources said on Saturday the meeting also discussed a report by Lahore DCO Khalid Sultan, stating that lack of powers and non-cooperation on the part of police were the main reasons for his inability to manage the event.

Presided over by Chief Secretary Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa and attended by a number of administrative secretaries, the meeting decided to appoint a coordination officer to manage such events in future.

Police and other agencies would be made to obey the coordination officer, preferably the DCO, and work under him as a team.

Sources said that almost all the administrative secretaries maintained that the deputy commissioners used to properly manage such events in the past because of their legal and administrative powers and the teams of trained managers (magistrates).

The reception for Iranian President Seyed Mohammad Khatami was organized by the Lahore district government at the historic Shalamar Gardens. Confusion, mismanagement and lack of coordination between police and the district administration marred the reception.

Police officers were seen controlling the situation in confusion whereas the DCO, heading the district administration, looked helpless in improving the state of affairs. He had only one constable under his command who too was carrying his wireless set.

Parliamentarians, local leaders of different religious parties, prominent citizens, members of the district government and schoolchildren were among the large number of people who had attended the reception.

The people were made to sit on tables in the laws of the huge Mughal garden’s first deck whereas the rostrum was facing the second deck below it.

Initially, no one was allowed to sit on chairs spread all over the lower deck. When the Iranian president entered the Shalamar Gardens the lower deck was empty. The management asked the police band and plainclothesmen occupying seats in the first deck of the gardens to swiftly move to the lower deck. The Iranian president waved to the policemen who were occupying empty seats at the lower deck.

People sitting in the upper deck were also made to move to the lower deck when most seats there were found empty. During this confusion, the police band played the national anthems of Pakistan and Iran. A music band playing popular music at the lower deck never stopped in the meantime.

The management changed the direction of the dais towards the people left at the upper deck when they could not fill seats at the lower deck. Foreign and local mediamen rushing below to cover Mr Khatami had to return to the upper deck.

During the commotion, many Iranian photographers and journalists accompanying Mr Khatami were intercepted by police. They included Acman Teimour, the official photographer, who was never allowed access to the president even after protests by the accompanying Iranian diplomats.

The Iranian president was quite mindful of the Urdu translation of his Persian speech and found two of the local interpreters at fault. They were changed and the translation by the third interpreter who continued till the end too was vague.