The Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday said that peace would be maintained on August 14 at all cost. "The government would respect all kinds of political activities and protest demonstrations within the constitutional ambit but no one would be allowed to storm the capital to destabilise the government and paralyse the normal life of citizens," he warned while presiding a meeting regarding law and order situation in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Interior Minister ordered the administration of the twin cities to ensure an effective co-ordination and take extraordinary measures for safety and security of citizens during political and non-political activities on August 14. Nisar said if the government allowed any aggressive and violent protest in the city, it would become a matter of routine and after every few months violent groups will storm the capital with a view to toppling the government, which will not be tolerated as we will not let the country to become another Somalia or Iraq or Libya.
He said that people who are openly challenging the law enforcement agencies could not be given a free hand in the federal capital. Nisar urged police to ban entry of irrelevant people in the 'Red Zone' on August 14 and later. The meeting was informed that around 21000 personnel of police, rangers and FC have been deployed in the federal capital for maintaining law and order.
He also urged the capital administration to beef up security at the entry and exit points of the twin cities to maintain law and order. Meanwhile, a senior police official said that the city police have finalised arrangements to seal federal capital and they also dug up deep trenches at various roads to ban the entry of marchers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to enter the federal capital on August 14.
He said that the city police have likely to seal Islamabad tonight by placing containers filled with sandbags at the majority of exit and entry points. The city police have confiscated around 1200 containers and other heavy vehicles and shifted vehicles to the various parts of the city to be placed at entry and exit points on Tuesday night, he said. The roads leading to Imran Khan's Bani Gala residence would be affected by similar security measures would be completely sealed off. Meanwhile, Faizabad, Islamabad Expressway, Kashmir Highway and other main roads will also be sealed tonight.
The official said the city police have instructed owners of guesthouses to provide a list of their guests. Police will also conduct a survey of all guesthouses as it is possible that people who want to participate in the march are already staying in guesthouses, he said.
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