9 held on cop’s tip

By Shahnawaz Khan

LAHORE: Law enforcement agencies on Wednesday arrested nine people for suspected links with terrorist outfits in the provincial capital after gleaning information from Constable Raja Waqas, who was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly passing on information to terrorists about the movement of top government officials.

Sources said the authorities had drawn up a new plan to protect very very important persons (VVIP) following the recent crackdown on suspected foreign terrorists. They said a new police lines would be set up in Lahore that would have more than 1,000 personnel and would be supervised by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of the operation’s wing. Sources said police officials would be required to get clearance from intelligence agencies before being posted to VVIPs’ security staff and would be given the latest apparatus for security checks. “Not even passers-by would be allowed to walk past VVIP vehicles,” sources said.

Sources said that Constable Waqas alias Maulvi was arrested on the basis of information provided by foreign terrorists arrested in Gujrat. Raja Waqas alias Maulvi was dismissed from service for misconduct and links with a banned militant organisation, but he was reinstated by the Service Tribunal later. Sources said Waqas was posted to the chief minister’s security squad on July 13. The authorities have already suspended Superintendent of Police Malik Tassaduq Hayat and Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Hameed from duty for being negligent in scrutiny of police officials.

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