The Pakistan Police on Tuesday announced additional security measures, including the installation of 25 new checkpoints, to bolster security in capital Islamabad after several nations, including the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, requested their citizens to limit their travel after a possible terrorist threat. The security strategy, which was announced on the official Twitter account of the Islamabad Police, calls for the Safe City cameras to record the Red Zone's access points and the video monitoring of metro bus riders.
Foreigners and citizens of Pakistan are both required to keep their identification documents with them at all times.
“Special security plan issued in view of the current security situation in Islamabad. Temporary security check posts have been established at 25 different locations in Islamabad,” it said.
The police cautioned anyone who employed unregistered local or foreign workers that they would be subject to investigation and recommended residents to register tenants and employees at the nearest police station.
It has been mandated that all drivers make sure their cars have licence plates issued by the excise office. Anyone observing odd behaviour is urged to report it to the appropriate authorities on the hotline.
The advisories came in the wake of a suicide bombing on Friday, December 23, in Islamabad that killed a policeman. It was the first major incident of terrorism in Islamabad following the onset of the recent wave of militancy that was initially limited to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The US embassy in Islamabad issued a warning about a potential terror threat against American people at the Marriott Hotel in the nation's capital two days after the explosion and forbade American workers from visiting the five-star hotel.
On Monday, December 26, the Saudi Arabian embassy in Islamabad also sent a security alert advising its people in Pakistan to limit their travel.
The same day, the governments of the UK and Australia issued separate security advisories requesting their citizens to restrict travel within Pakistan.
(With inputs from PTI)
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
