Fear exaggerated?

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَريَةً كانَت ءامِنَةً مُطمَئِنَّةً يَأتيها رِزقُها رَغَدًا مِن كُلِّ مَكانٍ فَكَفَرَت بِأَنعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذٰقَهَا اللَّهُ لِباسَ الجوعِ وَالخَوفِ بِما كانوا يَصنَعونَ ﴿١١٢﴾

(112) AND GOD propounds [to you] a parable: [Imagine] a town which was [once] secure and at ease, with its sustenance coming to it abundantly from all quarters, and which thereupon blasphemously refused to show gratitude for God’s blessings: and therefore God caused it to taste the all-embracing misery of hunger and fear in result of all [the evil] that its people had so persistently wrought.

اور الله ایک ایسی بستی کی مثال بیان فرماتا ہے جہاں ہر طرح کا امن چین تھا اس کی روزی بافراغت ہر جگہ سے چلی آتی تھی پھر الله کےاحسانوں کی ناشکری کی پھر الله نے ان کے برے کاموں کے سبب سے جو وہ کیا کرتے تھے یہ مزہ چکھایا کہ ان پر فاقہ اور خوف چھا گیا ﴿۱۱۲﴾ 2+
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Fear exaggerated?

With the closure of educational institutions in Lahore and other parts of Punjab, the Sindh government also issued directives to schools in Karachi who were asked to raise the height of their boundary walls, deploy armed guards, and install CCTV cameras among other security measures. Some parents, however, have been questioning the level of the threat posed to educational institutions, arguing that it has only left them more apprehensive. (Text: Aroosa Masroor Photos: Eefa Khalid)
Due to rising security threats, some private schools located in DHA and Clifton now resemble a prison camp secured with barricades, barbed wires and sand bags placed at the school entrance.

But many parents have been questioning the basis of these security measures, 'I haven't been told what purpose will these security measures serve. The government has openly declared that it would not be responsible in case of any untoward incident because they do not have enough security personnel to deploy at each school. And now that schools are left to fend for themselves, the least the government can do is not blow things out of proportion so the attendance rate at schools is not affected,' said a furious parent.

However, there are other parents who are more concerned about the disturbing message these measures are sending across. 'I am not comfortable with the idea of sending my children to a school with armed guards deployed outside and snipers on roof-tops. The sight of armed gunmen all around may have a negative impact,' said another parent, who has decided to keep his children home for an indefinite period.




But the principal of Bay View Academy, Shahpur Jamal, offers a different viewpoint. According to him 'fear overrides this fact now'.

'We are a country at war and cannot afford to risk the lives of our students at this point. No one knows when and where the terrorists would hit next so we need to take precautions.'

Although the school has adopted the required security measures, he says he has been receiving suggestions from parents that these measures 'are not adequate and more needs to be done to ensure the safety of their children.' As a result, some private schools and universities that opened on Wednesday have been closed again for a week in order to train the school staff and prepare them to fight such a situation.



Security at key hotels beefed up in Karachi
Updated at: 1130 PST, Sunday, November 01, 2009
KARACHI: The administrations of all the major hotels, declared sensitive, have beefed up security in order to thwart any terrorist attack, Geo news reported on Sunday.

According to sources, an independent five star hotel, located at PIDC locality of metropolis, has placed barriers around hotel premises, getting stringent vehicles’ checking coming into hotel.

Also, Police sources claimed to have adopted strict security measures to ensure foolproof security at all key five-star hotels in city.

Especial security arrangements in and around five star hotels in Karachi have been linked with recent terrorist attacks, sources added.