The Ministry of Interior on Tuesday ordered the expansion of the limits of the Red Zone, banning the entry of unauthorised people in the area. Expanding the Red Zone's limits to the Embassy Road in Sector G-6, federal interior minister ordered to only allow the entry of authorised persons holding valid computerised national identity cards (CNICs).
The identity cards would be verified by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on the spot. These directives were issued by Interior Minister Rehman Malik during a meeting, an official said. He said that the meeting was also attended, among others, by federal Secretary Interior Khwaja Saddiq Akbar, Chief Commissioner, Islamabad, Tariq Mehmood Pirzada, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Bani Amin Khan, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) operation Yaseen Farooq, Director-General (DG) of the National Crisis Management Cell Tariq Ahmad Lodhi.
The meeting reviewed the federal capita's security situation, he said. Stressing the need for taking extra security measures during the current session of parliament, the official said that the meeting also directed the IGP Islamabad to conduct strict scrutiny of all visitors to the National Assembly. He said that the meeting also directed IGP, Islamabad and the high ups of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration to enhance security in the city and the 'red alert' inside the Red Zone should continue in view of serious terrorist threats.
The official said that special directives were issued to the IGP Islamabad, asking him to make the security system more effective, adding that he (the IGP) was told to ensure strict checking at all police pickets. Police, the official said, was also told to scrutinise guests living in hotels, motels, and guest houses located in the federal capital.