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Dozens held in hunt for ‘illegal’ residents
By
Muhammad Faisal Ali A policeman checks the documents of a passenger during snap checking after security was tightened in Punjab following Sunday’s bomb explosion in Lahore. - APP photo LAHORE: In a province-wide crackdown on ‘illegal residents’ police reportedly arrested dozens of people on Saturday, a majority of them being Afghans and Pakhtuns. Following the latest suicide bombing threats by militants, police have also initiated surveillance of the localities having a concentration of such people. They are also checking credentials of suspects to verify their identity. A police source told Dawn the crackdown against Afghans and other illegal residents was focused in Punjab districts bordering the NWFP and Balochistan. A fresh official communication circulated across the province says: ‘ Reportedly Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan, Swat and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Waziristan, have dispatched a number of suicide bombers who have already entered Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.’ The bombers have been tasked to target important government buildings and installations, security forces personnel and headquarters, politicians and foreign missions and nationals. Following the provincial government directives, police in various districts have launched surveillance of Afghan and Pakhtun localities, rounding up many suspects for not having computerised national identity cards or other documents. The Mianwali district police reportedly took no less than 46 people into custody in Sunday’s crackdown. A senior provincial police officer, who wished not to be named, told Dawn the crackdowns against illegal residents had been launched repeatedly.
He said police deployment had already been increased
at 33 check-posts at the provincial boundary along the NWFP and
Balochistan on chief minister’s directions. According to official statistics, the Civil Lines division of Lahore police has registered cases against 27 illegal residents under section 13/14 Foreigners Act during the last four days. Capital City Police Officer Pervez Rathore said 300 illegal residents, majority of them Afghans, had been arrested three weeks ago out of which 70 were booked under the Foreigners Act, while several others who were found innocent were released. Meanwhile, banned outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan’s chief Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi was briefly taken into custody along with his three fellows by the Defence police on Sunday when he arrived here from Toba Tek Singh to attend the funeral of former MPA Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf in Defence Housing Authority. He was released after being questioned and verification of the licenses of the arms his guards were carrying along, Operations SSP Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad told Dawn. CNIC CHECKING: The city police kept checking CNICs of people in different parts of Lahore on Sunday. City division SP Rana Abdul Jabbar told Dawn the police had set up pickets at all important points like PMG Chowk, District Courts, Texali Chowk and Azadi Chowk and checked CNICs of people and removed coloured screens from windowpanes of 100 vehicles. Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Pervez Rathore said the campaign was in progress and the police would keep checking the CNICs of people as a part of security measures. He said the people were being issued warnings in this regard. DAWN: Monday, 01 Jun, 2009 |
