15 areas in Karachi identified as terrorism-prone

By Intikhab Ali

KARACHI: The Sindh police have declared 15 areas in the city vulnerable to terrorist attacks and it they have decided to form security zones in these areas as a preventive measures.

The Sindh police prepared a comprehensive report on issues pertaining to the police and proposed plans to bring about improvement in the police’s performance and law and order in the city, the sources told the Daily Times.

The sources said the report had been sent to the federal government, adding improvement plans for the police had been approved in principle, but the allocation of a budget had not yet been decided.

The sources said the 15 areas that had been declared sensitive were the headquarters of the Vth Corps, Central Police Office, Rangers headquarters, Sindh Governor’s House, Chief Minister’s House, Sindh High Court, COMKAR headquarters (Naval HQs), Sindh Secretariat, Sindh Assembly, Jinnah International Airport, US Consulate, residence of US Consulate-General, British Deputy High Commission and Bath Island.

Security zones would be formed in these areas, the sources said.

The sources said funds for upgrades to the CID, Special Branch, Bomb Disposal Squads, provision of DNA testing facilities, surveillance cameras, procurement of armoured personnel carriers and anti-riot vehicles had been proposed by the Sindh police. The sources said under the pans, recruitment, transfer and promotion in the police would be on the basis of merit, competent police officers would be placed in the field and periodical assessment of police personnel’s performance would be carried out.

The sources said the police took the use of hijacked and stolen vehicles in acts of terrorism seriously, so it had been decided to check vehicles in each town at three points and checking by the Anti-car Lifting Cell at five points. Cyber cafes and proper verification before provision of connections of both mobile and landlines phones would also be monitored, the sources said.

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