The district administration Islamabad has directed the ICT police to further tighten security in the federal capital ahead of shutter down call given by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for Saturday. The administration has also decided to register cases against those involved in subversive activities under the Anti Terrorist Act (ATA), sources said on Friday. The MMA has earlier called for wheel-jam and shutter down strike all over the country on Saturday to condemn the continuous price hike in POL products and the daily use commodities as well.
On the other side, the government seems feared from MMA's strike call as the Minister of State for Interior Dr Shahzad Waseem accompanied by security personnel was seen threatening shopkeepers in Melody and Super Markets of Islamabad not to take part in the strike.
The minister along with his at least 10 gunmen visited all the big commercial centres of Islamabad, asking the traders to disassociate themselves from the shutter down or wheel-jam call.
In this connection, a detailed meeting was held here with acting Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mehmood Pirzada in the chair, which was also attended by SSP Islamabad, Liaquat Ali Khan and other senior officials of police and district administration.
Informed sources told this scribe that ICT police have been asked to take extraordinary security measures in the federal capital and not to allow anybody to disrupt the peace and calm.
The meeting has also expressed the resolve that law and order should be maintained at any cost and violators of law to be dealt under ATA.
Talking to this correspondent, SSP Islamabad Liaquat Ali Khan said that maximum-security cover is being provided to trader and businessmen community of federal capital to protect them from forced shutter down. Police patrolling parties have been asked to keep strict vigil in the capital's big commercial centres like Jinnah Super, Super Market, Aabpara and Karachi Company markets to prevent any unpleasant situation. There is no threat to transporters in Islamabad, he said adding police would also provide full security to them to facilitate the commuters in the expected wheel-jam strike.
Sources said that Rawalpindi-Islamabad transporter associations and traders community on Thursday assured the ICT administration that they would not become a part of Saturday's strike call in larger public interest.
The assistant commissioners, area magistrates and concerned police stations have been strictly directed to take foolproof security arrangements in this regard.
The chief commissioner has also warned that nobody would be allowed to close the shops and stop public transport by force. The violators would be tried under the anti-terrorist law, he added.
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