Islamabad put on high alert : Terror threat

ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: An intelligence report that terrorists may strike in the capital and target politicians and religious leaders has led to a high alert in the city, sources told Dawn.

A senior officer of the Islamabad administration said the city police and the administration had received a letter from the interior ministry that suicide attacks could take place in Islamabad. According to the letter, terrorists can target some high profile politicians and religious leaders.

The officer said security had been tightened in and around the capital city and the high alert would stay till the Jan 8 general election. Three wings of Rangers and personnel of the Elite Force, Punjab Constabulary and the city police had been deployed at sensitive places in Islamabad to avert any sabotage activity, he added.

He said the administration and police had reviewed security arrangements in the capital and had started restructuring police pickets, adding that law-enforcement personnel had started checking hotels, inns and bus stands. "We have been keeping a strict vigilance over suspicious people staying in hotels and inns and moving around bust stops."

Intelligence agencies have been asked to keep an eye on suspicious people and send reports to the city administration for taking further action.

A senior police officer told Dawn that security had been provided to politicians, including Pakistan People's Party chairperson Banazir Bhutto, and religious leaders who faced threats and had sought protection. They were provided with police motorcades while moving around the city and police had been deployed at their houses, he added.

BAITULAH’s threat: The federal government has directed all provinces and the Islamabad capital territory administration to step up security around ten Shia individuals and political leaders in the light of intelligence that Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud has placed them on his hit list to be targeted in the very near future, Dawn has learnt.

Sources said the expected hit list prepared by Baitullah Mehsud contained the names of ten individuals.

The sources said miscreants of Dara Adam Khel had been given the task of `target killing' the persons.

These individuals have been identified as chief justice (retired) Ibn-i-Ali, a Pakistan People's Party candidate from PF-38; his son additional sessions judge Ehtisham Ali, ex-MPA Qalb-i-Hassan, his brother Mehtabul Hassan, Jawad Hussain Jawadi, Hashmat Ali Zaidi, deputy director anti-corruption Kohat; and Fazal Abbas (Pir of Kalaya).

The list also include the Mutawalis (caretakers) of three imambargahs in Kohat, who have been facing life threats.

A security source said in light of the intelligence, they were taking all possible measures for the security of the people.

Note: The Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely-read English-language newspaper, and was founded in 1941 by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan with offices in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Note the date of the following article, December 26th, published the morning of the 27th. Benazir Bhutto was murdered on the 27th. Note the spelling of Bhutto’s name in the article, “Banazir Bhutto”. It seems this article was released prior to the suicide attack on Bhutto. Note the reference to the Taliban in the article.

We have been keeping a strict vigilance over suspicious people staying in hotels and inns and moving around bust stops.

Excellent! Gotta protect those busts.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: An intelligence report that terrorists may strike in the capital and target politicians and religious leaders

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Brilliant observation, no wonder why you don’t work for CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, New York Times, ect.

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