Security on high alert ahead of alliance rally

Police to take necessary measures to protect life and property

The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in Islamabad have put security on high alert ahead of the opposition parties’ alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) protest rally scheduled for Tuesday outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) building.

The PDM, an 11-party opposition alliance, had announced earlier this month that it would hold a protest outside the ECP secretariat against delay and slow pace of the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In order to review the security situation and to ensure order in the federal capital during the planned protest by the PDM, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has called a meeting of high level officials of police and law-enforcement agencies.

Sensitive area

At the meeting the inspector generals of police of Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Chief Commissioner Islamabad as well as senior officials from other lawenforcement agencies will brief about the security arrangements at the ECP and in the Red Zone of the federal capital.

The ECP had approached the Islamabad administration through a letter to the chief commissioner, saying that the PDM should be allowed to protest only in a specific area adjacent to the Constitution Avenue, so that the working of the election supervisor was not affected.

According to the Islamabad police, all necessary security measures will be taken to protect life and property of the people as the protest would be taking place in a sensitive area.

In the meeting, security and monitoring of all the entrance and exit points to the federal capital will be reviewed and input from the allied departments like Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) will also be taken into consideration.