Islamabad Police tightens security of the city

ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (SABAH): In light of rising security concerns, Islamabad Police on Tuesday issued a special plan, keeping security on high alert.

In accordance with the plan, the police set up 25 temporary checkposts across the city and are constantly monitoring the entry points of Islamabad’s Red Zone area with the use of Safe City cameras.

In a tweet, the police furthered that they were also monitoring metro service passengers through video recordings. “Legal action will be taken against unspecified number plates and unregistered vehicles,” the police stated, directing citizens to ensure their number plates were issued by the excise office.

They also requested foreign nationals to carry their identification documents with them and asked landlords to “register tenants and employees at the nearest police station or service centres.”

Islamabad Police maintained that those employing unregistered local or foreign workers will be investigated. The police also instructed citizens to report any unusual activity on the 15-helpline.

The plan comes two days after the US, UK, Saudi Arabian and Australian governments issued advisories to their respective citizens in Pakistan, prohibiting their nationals in the country from visiting a five-star hotel in Islamabad because of the possible threat of a terrorist attack.

The unprecedented advisory and threat alert were issued after a police official embraced martyrdom and several others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up during a check-up in Sector I-10 of Islamabad. This was the first suicide attack in the federal capital in more than eight years, police officials and witnesses had said.

The bombing, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), took place near the police headquarters on the main road leading to government buildings housing the parliament and other high offices. Since then, Islamabad has been on high alert and security arrangements have been tightened.