ISLAMABAD: Security arrangements in Islamabad were in overdrive on Thursday as speculation continued about the federal capital possibly hosting a second round of talks between the US and Iran.
Speaking to Dawn, senior police officials said a meeting — chaired by the deputy inspector general of logistics — was held last night, during which a shortage of manpower in connection with the security arrangements came to light.
Officials have also begun carpeting the Islamabad Expressway to remove bumps and potholes in a bid to ensure a smooth drive from Nur Khan Airbase to the Red Zone, they said.
Meanwhile, police in the federal capital have also sought 7,000 personnel from Punjab police, 3,000 of whom reached Islamabad on Thursday, the senior officials said.
Accommodation for the additional force has been arranged at different locations, including Liaqat Gymnasium and a school in F-7, they added.
The remaining force from Punjab was likely to be sent from different districts, including Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Sahiwal, and Faisalabad, the officials told Dawn.
Additionally, troops of Rangers and Federal Constabulary have also been sought, as per the police officials. Security will be deployed at entry and exit points, pickets, sensitive areas and installations.
The capital has also been placed on high alert, the police officials added, with the Special Branch and Counter-terrorism Department’s intelligence wing being asked to mount surveillance and intelligence around slums, wooded areas and nullahs, as well as the city’s outskirts, bus terminals, and entry and exit points.
Hotels and guest houses within the capital have also been put under strict surveillance, with the police being directed to check the records of guests and visitors. Police have also told to set up pickets to monitor suspicious activity, the officials said.
Islamabad police also held a consultation meeting on Thursday, which was attended by all deputy inspector generals (DIGs).
Police officials told Dawn that the meeting discussed a security plan, keeping in view the possibility of a second round of peace talks being held in Islamabad.
The DIGs reviewed the security plan that was devised for the peace talks held on April 11-12 and decided to implement the same measures as before in case another round of talks was held in the federal capital, the officials said.
According to the plan, they added, around 6,000 Islamabad police personnel and 900 of the Federal Constabulary would be deployed in the federal capital, along with army and Rangers personnel. Army would be deployed in and around the Red Zone and important installations, the officials said, adding that paramilitary troops would be deployed in and around high security zones and at pickets.
Police teams would also be deployed at high security zone’s pickets, they said.
The officials said it had also been decided to declare a local holiday in Islamabad if delegates from Iran, the US, and other countries visited the capital again for the talks.
Pakistan hosted direct Iran-US talks in Islamabad on Saturday and Sunday, marking the highest engagement between the two sides since 1979. The talks ended without an agreement despite nearly 21 hours of talks. While no breakthrough was achieved, both sides indicated that the diplomatic channel remained open.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran could resume over the next two days and that “we’re more inclined to go” to Pakistan, according to The New York Post. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said on Thursday that no dates have been decided for the second round of talks.
The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, brokered on April 8 after over a month of conflict, is set to expire on April 22.
