LAHORE: The Punjab police claimed on Thursday to have finalised security arrangements under a comprehensive strategy for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march.

Under the comprehensive security plan, a police spokesperson said more than 20,000 police personnel have been deployed in field to provide a foolproof security cover to the caravans of the PTI. He said the police department would utilize all available resources to ensure security of the participants and PTI leaders to avert any untoward happening.

He said the march started from two districts, Wazirabad and Toba Tek Singh. He added that PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umar were brought to starting points of the long march by a special squad of the Punjab police while bullet proof glasses and rostrum have also delivered to the containers of the two caravans.

The spokesperson further said that the long march organizers have been requested to implement security SOPs under all circumstances and a special security fence will be built around the containers. As per the new SOPs, no irrelevant person or vehicle will be allowed to reach near the container and commandos will be deployed on the adjacent buildings falling on routes of the march while aerial monitoring will also be ensured.

According to the spokesperson, the entry of armed private guards of participants in long march has been prohibited as well as aerial firing. “The monitoring process will also continue from the control room established at the Central Police Office (CPO).

He said the Special Branch, CTD and district police have been instructed to carry out search and combing operations on the routes of the long march on daily basis while alternative routes and additional personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth flow of traffic so that citizens would face minimum problems.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022