SECURITY OF INDIA- PAK BUSES UP

AMRITSAR: Having increasing the security of Pakistani prisoners lodged in the Amritsar central jail, the authorities have beefed up the security of buses plying between India and Pakistan due to fears of a violent reaction to the attack on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh.

Various buses, including Amritsar- Lahore, AmritsarNankana Sahib, Delhi-Lahore and Lahore-Delhi, are operational between the two countries.

As soon as the Pakistan bus Sada- e- Sarhad, plying on the Lahore- Delhi route, entered India, the police was put on high alert at various key points. Heavy deployment was seen at the India Gate chowk on the Attari-Amritsar road.

The bus, which normally has two police vehicles escorting it, saw four vehicles, including a van with more than dozen jawans, guarding it along the route on Monday.

Talking to HT, Amritsar police commissioner Ram Singh said, “Whenever there is information that some outfit can disrupt the movement of the bus, we increase its security.”

Inspector Susheel Kumar, station house officer ( SHO), Chheharta, who was looking after the security arrangements at the India Gate chowk, said, “On the instructions of the police commissioner, adequate security was provided.”

BUSES DIVERTED

NAKODAR: The Lahore-Delhi and Delhi- Lahore buses were on Monday diverted via NakodarNurmahal- Phillaur to avoid any untoward incident. Police sources said this step was taken following threats by Shiv Sena not to allow the Pakistan bus to cross Phagwara. Nakodar city SHO Subash Bath said the police escorted Sada-e-Sarhad up to Nurmahal around 2pm. Usually, the buses cross each other at Phagwara around noon.