Lahore blasts toll rises to 49, injures 180: DCO
Updated at: 0920 PST, Tuesday, December 08, 2009
LAHORE: The death tally of Lahore twin blasts has mounted to 49 while another 180 persons sustained injuries including some in the worst critical condition, according to Sajjad Bhutta, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore.
According to sources, the two consecutive blasts ripped through Lahore’s commercial center late on Monday night.
According to sources, the first blast was a suicide attack while the second was detonated through remote control device. However, the district administration said that both the blasts were result of suicide bombing and that the heads of both the bombers have been recovered from the site of the incident.
The Edhi Welfare Trust sources have put the death toll at 49. On the other hand, CCPO Lahore Pervez Rathor has confirmed deaths of 37 people in both the attacks. The number of injured is over 180, he added.
Initially, the Director General Rescue Operation said that 38 people died in the incident while 90 others were injured.
Those hurt also included women and children.
The two blasts occurred within seconds of each other at Lahore’s busy Moon Market in Allama Iqbal Town locality here. The first blast took place in the middle of the market while the second one near a private bank.
Fire erupted in the market immediately after the blasts, engulfing a number of shops and motorcycles parked in the nearby parking space.
The powerful blasts also shattered the windowpanes of the surrounding buildings.
Rescue efforts were immediately got underway after the blasts and the bodies and injured persons were started to be rushed in 1122 ambulances to nearby hospitals where emergency had been declared shortly after the tragic incident.
Some of the injured persons are said to be critical in condition.
DCO Lahore and heavy police contingents along with high officials reached the spot of the tragic incident.
Moon market is a commercial center of Iqbal Town, Lahore, where shoppers are normally present in large numbers. A suicide attack had also been launched at a police station in this area on 13 August last year in which 8 people lost their lives.
Multan blast claims 12 lives: Rescue 1122
Updated at: 1255 PST, Tuesday, December 08, 2009
MULTAN: At least 12 people were killed and 10 others injured in the twin blasts in Qasim Bela area of Multan Cantt near a building of a sensitive agency, Geo News quoted Dr Kaleem of Rescue 1122 Tuesday.
Dr Kaleem said the deceased include eight civilians and four security men.
Rescue teams including 1122, police and other relief teams arrived on the spot. Police put security cordon around the whole area of blast site. Also, a military helicopter is hovering over the area for surveillance.
The injured are being shifted to the nearby hospitals including Nishtar Hospital, Civil Hospital and CMH, where state of emergency has been declared.
According to Geo News correspondent, at least 11 injured including children and women were brought to the Nishtar Hospital.
The blast was so powerful that the windowpanes of the nearby buildings were smashed to pieces. The media is being denied access to the blasts site thanks to the sensitivity of the area.
It should be mentioned that the blast occurred in the constituency of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
According to an eyewitness, he was passing from the area when he heard a low-intensity blast followed by a massive explosion, adding the ISI building was more than half damaged as a result of bombings.
Another eyewitness told Geo News that the gunshots were fired before the blasts.
Some people are feared to be trapped under the rubble of the damaged building.
DIG Arif Ikaram said the blast occurred at 12:10pm in front of a secret agency building, adding he confirmed the killings of at least four people.
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Terror spate continues: Bomb blasts kill 49 in Lahore market, 9 in Peshawar
* Two blasts, 30 seconds apart, devastate Lahore’s Moon Market, injure over 100
* Subsequent inferno halts rescue efforts
* Officials unsure of the nature of blasts
* Several markets in Lahore to remain closed today
LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Bomb explosions tore through Lahore and Peshawar on Monday, killing at least 47 people and injuring around 150 in the two cities.
Two blasts devastated the busy Moon Market in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town and engulfed it in flames, killing at least 38 people, and injuring more than 100. In Peshawar, a suicide bomber killed nine people outside the city’s sessions courts. The Moon Market transformed into a scene of flames and rubble when the two bombs exploded 30 seconds apart at 8:45pm. A suicide bomber had also targeted Moon Market in August last year in which nine people were killed.
The first blast occurred outside a plaza housing a branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank, while the other outside the Allama Iqbal Town police station, situated across the road.
Rescue efforts: As the first bomb went off, the plaza where the bank is situated, and an adjacent building went up in flames, halting rescue work, Nazeer Ahmed, a security guard who was at the spot when the blasts occurred, said. Nazeer said the fire made it impossible to rescue anyone from the burning buildings.
Officials unsure: The Punjab law minister, police officials and officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad, rescue officials and witnesses could not say if the blasts were suicide attacks or remote-controlled detonations.
The officials also could not say for certain how much explosive material had been used in the blasts until the filing of this report.
Punjab Inspector General Tariq Saleem Dogar said the bombs might have been detonated by remote control, while Superintendent of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi said he was not certain if a suicide bomber was involved. “We have recovered 33 dead bodies so far,” said Dr Rizwan Naseer, director general of Rescue 1122, and put the toll for the injured at 95. Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore put the death toll slightly lower: “Twenty-seven people are confirmed dead but the death toll may rise. A total of 137 people were injured,” he said. “The blasts knocked out electricity in the area, as fire engulfed the whole market. We fear there are still dead bodies inside [the buildings].”
Condemning the bomb attack and sympathising with the victims, traders in several parts of the city announced to keep markets closed today (Tuesday), according to a private TV channel.
The twin blasts in Lahore took the number of terrorist attacks across the country in the last 30 days to 11, in which at least 169 people have been killed.
Peshawar: In Peshawar, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of the Peshawar Sessions Court, killing nine people and injuring another 44, police said.
Public Prosecutor Arifullah was among those killed in the attack, while two lawyers, Asad Shangla and Kanwar Kamal Ahmed, were among the injured. The blast occurred outside the main gate of the sessions court on Sher Shah Suri Road in the city’s high security zone, which is situated close to the MPAs’ Hostel, Peshawar Central Jail, Governor’s House and the NWFP Civil Secretariat.
This is the second attack to target court premises in Peshawar in less than a month. Earlier on November 19, a suicide bomber killed 19 people outside the Peshawar Judicial Complex.
Peshawar Police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told reporters at the crime scene on Monday that the suicide bomber arrived at the premises on a rickshaw and tried to enter the court building, but detonated the explosives strapped to his body when the police stopped him at the main gate.
“The attacker was trying to hit sensitive installations but policemen foiled his attempt by sacrificing their lives,” Liaqat said. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said around six to seven kilogrammes of explosives were used in the attack.
NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour told reporters at the blast scene that the nation stood by the army until the elimination of terrorists from the country.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the bombing, a statement from his office said.
The US embassy also condemned the suicide bombing.
“This vicious attack is yet another attack on the democratic institutions of Pakistan and the rule of law. We express our deep condolences to the victims’ families and pray for a speedy recovery for all those injured,” a press release issued by the embassy said. rana tanveer/muhammad aayan/manzoor ali shah/agencies
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At least 45 killed as twin bombs hit Lahore
By Mohammad Faisal Ali
Tuesday, 08 Dec, 2009
A woman is comforted by a police officers, after a series of explosions in Lahore. Two explosions ripped through a crowded market in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, killed a number people and left many injured, police said. -AP Photo
LAHORE: Two powerful bomb blasts ripped through the busy Moon Market in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town late in the night, claiming at least 45.
The blasts, which took place within a radius of 30 metre, also caused a massive fire in a crowded shopping mall. The blasts knocked out electricity supply.
Monday’s strike was the second terrorist attack in Iqbal Town. On August 13, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the same market, killing nine people, including two children.
Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervaiz told reporters that the death toll could rise as fire-fighters struggled to put out the blaze to rescue the trapped people till late in the night.
Rescue teams retrieved several charred bodies from the building. A number of the injured people taken to different city hospitals were said to be in a critical condition.
According to police, the first blast took place outside a bank and the other near a police station. People ran for their lives as the two blasts took place within a few seconds at about 8.45pm.
SSP (operations) Chaudhry Shafique Ahmed told Dawn that the first blast had been carried out by a suicide bomber.
The Iqbal Town SP said police had recovered some body parts, including the head and legs of the suspected bomber. He said police had also seized a damaged motorcycle allegedly used for planting a time device.
However, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and senior officials insisted that the blasts could have been triggered remotely.
The commissioner blamed India for the blasts. But the law minister said that militants from Waziristan were involved.
A number of shops in the market were destroyed and windowpanes of nearby buildings and houses shattered. Dozens of cars and motorcycles were damaged.
Most people falling prey to the bloody attacks were either shopping or dining out at the time of the incident.
The blasts were heard in a radius of a few kilometres. Panic gripped the area and all major markets in the city were closed. Traders announced closure of the market on Tuesday in protest against the incident.
People accused police of not taking effective precautionary measures despite threats that terrorists could target markets in the city.
‘I was passing through the market when the first blast took place outside the MCB Bank, where people were enjoying their food,’ said Mohammad Qaiser, of Sabzazar.
‘Soon after the blast I found at least 10 people lying on the ground with blood and limbs strewn all around,’ he added.
Imran Hussian, a shopkeeper, said, ‘I was outside the shop when a huge blast shook the entire market. A few seconds later, another explosion was heard on the outskirts of the market.’
He said he and other people ran for their lives. ‘When we returned after some time, we saw the injured screaming and crying for pain. A big fire erupted in the market,’ he said.
Meanwhile, police set up pickets across the city and rounded up several suspects for investigation.
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’کسی کا بیٹا نہیں مل رہا تو کسی کی بہن‘
مناء رانا
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، لاہور
زخمی
دھماکے کے زخمیوں میں بڑی تعداد میں عورتیں اور بچے بھی شامل ہیں
شمیم کا بیٹا نہیں مل رہا تو محمد فیاص کی تین بہنیں اور دو بچے لاپتہ ہیں۔ وہ دونوں ایک سے دوسرے ہسپتال بھاگ رہے ہیں کہ انہیں ان کے اپنوں کی کوئی خبر مل جائے۔
لاہور کی مون مارکیٹ میں ہونے دھماکوں کے بعد یہ ایک عام منظر تھا۔ لاہور کے ہسپتالوں میں ایسے کئی پریشان حال لوگ تھے جنہیں یا تو اپنے رشتے داروں کی تلاش تھی یا ان کے اپنے ان ہسپتالوں کے ایمرجنسی وارڈ میں موت و زندگی کی کشمکش میں مبتلا تھے۔
لاہور میں علامہ اقبال ٹاؤن میں واقع کمرشل مارکیٹ مون مارکیٹ میں ہونے والے بم دھماکوں میں جہاں درجنوں افراد ہلاک ہوئے وہاں زخمی ہونے والوں کی تعداد بھی بہت زیادہ ہے۔
جن زِخمیوں کی حالت تشویش ناک تھی ان میں کئی ایسے تھے جن کے بدن جھلس گئے تھے۔
مون مارکیٹ ایک ایسا بازار ہے جہاں ملبوسات، گرم کپڑوں، زیورات، کھلونوں، میک اپ کا سامان غرض کہ ہر قسم کی چیز ملتی ہے۔ اس مارکیٹ میں اگرچہ ہر وقت خریداروں کا ہجوم رہتا ہے لیکن رات کو یہاں خریداروں کی تعداد میں کافی اضافہ ہو جاتا ہے۔ کھانے پینے کی کئی دکانوں اور ریستورانوں کی موجودگی کے سبب رات کو یہاں علاقے کے نوجوانوں کی کافی تعداد بھی موجود ہوتی ہے۔
عبدالرزاق کا بھائی خالد بھی ان لوگوں میں تھا۔ دھماکے نتیجے میں لگنے والی آگ سے اس کے جسم کا کافی حصہ جل چکا ہے اور اس کے گھر والے رو رو کر دعائیں مانگ رہے تھے۔
لاہور کے ہسپتالوں میں ایسے کئی پریشان حال لوگ تھے جنہیں یا تو اپنے رشتے داروں کی تلاش تھی یا ان کے اپنے ان ہسپتالوں کے ایمرجنسی وارڈ میں موت و زندگی کی کشمکش میں مبتلا تھے۔
عبدالرزاق نے بتایا کے مون مارکیٹ میں ان کی بیگوں کی دکان ہے جب پہلا دھماکہ ہوا تو بہت خوفناک آواز آئی۔ انہوں نے اپنےگاہکوں کو جن میں خواتین کی کافی تعداد تھی کہا کہ یہاں سے نکلیں کیونکہ لگتا ہے کہ دھماکہ ہوا ہے لیکن ان کا بھائی خالد وہاں کھڑا رہا اور پھر چند لمحوں کے بعد وہاں بھی دھماکہ ہو گیا اور انہیں تقریبا پندرہ منٹ کے بعد اپنا زخمی بھائی ملا جو کافی جلا ہوا تھا وہ بڑی مشکل سے اسے ہسپتال لے کر آئے کیونکہ وہاں موجود تمام ایمبولینسیں زخمیوں سے بھری ہوئی تھیں اور انہیں بڑی مشکل سے ایک ایمبولینس میں جگہ ملی۔
محمد نعیم اور اس کے دوست سبحان کی مون مارکیٹ میں زیورات کا سٹال ہے۔ نعیم کے مطابق دوسرا دھماکہ ان کے سٹال کے قریب ہی ہوا اور ان کے دوست سبحان کی ٹانگ پر کوئی چیز اڑ کر لگی اور وہ گر پڑے ۔نعیم کے مطابق جس سٹال کے پاس دھماکہ ہوا وہ جرسیوں کا سٹال تھا اور وہاں آگ بھڑک اٹھی جو دیکھتے ہی دیکھتے ہی سارے پلازے میں پھیل گئی۔
محمد نعیم کے مطابق ان کا اندازہ ہے کہ بہت سے لوگ اس آگ کے سبب پلازے میں پھنس گئے تھے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پھنسنے والے لوگوں میں زیادہ تر وہ تھے جن کی وہاں دکانیں اور سٹال ہیں۔
شیخ اسپتال میں لائے گئے ایک زخمی کی بہن جو علامہ اقبال ٹاؤن کی رہائشی ہیں ان کا کہنا تھا کہ وہ کچھ دیر پہلے ہی مارکیٹ سے گھر گئیں تھیں اور ان کے بھائی نے کہا کہ وہ کچھ دیر بعد آئے گا۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ مون مارکیٹ میں سکیورٹی کا انتظام کافی ناقص ہے جو پولیس والے ہوتے ہیں وہ بھی کوئی زیادہ مستعد نہیں ہوتے اور نہ آنے جانے والوں پر کوئی نظر رکھی جاتی ہے۔
دھماکے نتیجے میں ہلاک ہونے والے ایک خاتون کے بیٹے کو بھی سکیورٹی انتظامات پر بہت سخت اعتراض تھا اور اپنی ماں کے غم میں نڈھال وہ نوجوان کسی اعلی پولیس افسر کی اسپتال آمد پر چلاتا اور انہیں برا بھلا کہتا کہ ان کی غفلت کے سبب وہ ماں کی محبت سے محروم ہو گیا۔
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ملتان: آئی ایس آئی کے دفتر کے باہردھماکہ، نو ہلاک
عبادالحق
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، لاہور
حملہ آوروں کا ٹارگٹ خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس آئی کا دفتر تھا: کمشنر ملتان
پنجاب کے جنوبی شہر ملتان میں حکام کے مطابق خفیہ ادارے آئی ایس آئی کے دفتر کے قریب بم دھماکے میں کم از کم نو افراد ہلاک اور سینتالیس کے قریب زخمی ہو گئے ہیں۔
دھماکہ ملتان چھاؤنی سے متصل علاقے قاسم بیلہ میں ہوا جس سے آس پاس کی عمارتوں کو شدید نقصان پہنچا۔
کمشنر ملتان محمد علی گردیزئی نے میڈیا سے بات کرتے ہوئے بتایا کہ حملہ آور ایک وین میں سوار تھے۔ انھوں نے بتایا کہ وین بم دھماکے میں نو افراد ہلاک اور سنتالیس سے زائد زخمی ہوئے ہیں۔ انھوں نے بتایا کہ ہلاک ہونے والوں میں تین بچے، دو سکیورٹی اہلکار اور دو سویلین ہیں جبکہ دو لاشوں کے بارے میں خیال ہے کہ وہ حملہ آور تھے۔
انھوں نے بتایا کہ حملہ آوروں کا ٹارگٹ خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس آئی کا دفتر تھا لیکن وہاں تک پہنچے میں کامیاب نہیں ہو سکے اور قریبی رہائشی فلیٹوں کے ساتھ گاڑی ٹکرا دی۔ کمشنر ملتان کے مطابق حملہ آوروں کی گاڑی میں آٹھ سو سے ایک ہزار کلوگرام تک دھماکا خیز مواد تھا لیکن زیادہ تر رہائشی فلیٹ دھماکے کے وقت خالی تھے جس کی وجہ سے کم جانی نقصان ہوا ہے۔
انہوں نے بتایا کہ کسی حملہ آور کے بھاگنے کی کوئی اطلاعات نہیں ہیں۔ بقول ان کے تمام حملہ آور مارے جاچکے ہیں تاہم ابھی تحقیقات جاری ہیں اور چھان بین مکمل ہونے کے بعد حمتی طور پرکچھ بتایا جاسکتا ہے۔
آر پی او ملتان عارف اکرم نے میڈیا کو بتایا کہ اس واقعہ کی تحقیقات کے لیے تین مختلف ٹیمیں تشکیل دے دی گئی ہیں۔ جنہوں نے اپنی تحقیقاتی شروع کردی ہیں۔انہوں نے یہ بتایا کہ ابھی تک کوئی گرفتاری عمل میں نہیں آئی۔
ایک وین میں سوار دو سے زائد حملہ آور جیسے ہی خفیہ ادارے آئی ایس آئی کے دفتر سے پہلے قائم پولیس کی چیک پوسٹ کے قریب پہنچے تو ایک مسلح حملہ آور نے گاڑی سے باہر نکل کر پولیس اہلکاروں پر راکٹ فائر کیا۔ راکٹ چیک پوسٹ پر لگنے کے بجائے قریبی عمارت میں جا لگا اور اس دوران حملہ آوروں نے چیک پوسٹ عبور کر کے گاڑی ایک قریبی عمارت سے ٹکرا دی
آغا محمد یوسف
ایک سوال کا جواب دیتے ہوئے انھوں نے بتایا کہ راکٹ لانچر روسی ساخت کےتھے جب کہ اس دھماکے میں استعمال ہونے والی گاڑی کی پرزے میں قبضے میں لیے گئے ہیں اور کچھ موبائل فون اور سمیں بھی ملی ہیں۔
اس سے پہلے ملتان کے ایس ایس پی آپریشنز آغا محمد یوسف نے بی بی سی بات کرتے ہوئے بتایا کہ یہ واقعہ ملتان کے علاقے قاسم بیلا میں پیش آیا ہے۔ انھوں نے بتایا کہ ایک وین میں سوار دو سے زائد حملہ آور جیسے ہی خفیہ ادارے آئی ایس آئی کے دفتر سے پہلے قائم پولیس کی چیک پوسٹ کے قریب پہنچے تو ایک مسلح حملہ آور نے گاڑی سے باہر نکل کر پولیس اہلکاروں پر راکٹ فائر کیا۔
انھوں نے بتایا کہ راکٹ چیک پوسٹ پر لگنے کے بجائے قریبی عمارت میں جا لگا اور اس دوران حملہ آوروں نے چیک پوسٹ عبور کر کے گاڑی ایک قریبی عمارت سے ٹکرا دی۔
انھوں نے بتایا کہ پولیس کی چیک پوسٹ سے کچھ ہی فاصلے پر فوجی چیک پوسٹ تھی۔ دھماکے کے بعد زخمیوں کو فوجی ہسپتال سی ایم ایچ اور نشتر ہسپتال پہنچایا گیا جب کہ تمام علاقوں کو سکیورٹی فورسز نے گھیرلیا تھا اور علاقے میں ہیلی کاپٹر بھی پرواز کرتے رہے۔
دھماکے کے ایک عینی شاہد جاوید بھٹہ کے مطابق وہ اپنے بیٹے کو لینے کے لیے جیسے ہی سکول میں داخل ہوئے تو قریب میں ہی پولیس ناکے کے قریب پہلے فائرنگ اور پھر ایک راکٹ چلنے کی آواز آئی۔ انھوں نے بتایا کہ دھماکے کے نتیجے میں پانچ کے قریب رہائشی فلیٹ تباہ ہو گئے ۔
خیال رہے کہ بم دھماکوں کی اس نئی لہر میں سوموار کو پشاور اور لاہور میں یکے بعد دیگرے دو دھماکے ہوئے۔پشاور میں ہونے والے بم دھماکے میں نو جب کہ لاہور میں کم از کم پینتالیس افراد ہلاک ہوئے تھے۔ ان دھماکوں میں متعدد افراد زخمی بھی ہوئے۔
Two more bodies recovered from rubble
LAHORE: Two bodies were recovered during rescue operations on Thursday from the section of Moon Market that was destroyed in Monday’s twin blasts. An Edhi official said the legs of two victims were still missing, adding that one of the victims was suspected to be a woman. He said the victim’s face and hair had been burnt in the blast and could not be identified, adding that the remains had been shifted to the morgue for an autopsy and identification. Iqbal Town Division Superintendent (SP) Investigation Shoaib Khurram said newspapers were publishing incorrect death toll figures. He said that around 47 people had been martyred in the twin blasts and 42 dead bodies had been handed over to the victims’ families from Mayo Dead House, while one dead body was handed over to the victim’s family from Farooq Hospital. staff report
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Traders, shoppers fear Liberty potential target for terrorists
* Shopkeepers regret government’s decision not to build parking plaza
* Shoppers say market administration risking people’s lives by allowing parking so close to shops
By Afnan Khan
LAHORE: Market officials and shoppers have expressed fears that the Liberty Market may be the next possible target for terrorists.
In the wake of Monday’s attack at the busy Moon Market, citizens have expressed concern over the prevalent security situation and measures being taken by authorities to safeguard one of the city’s key shopping points. Shoppers said they had been lucky not to fall prey to any terrorist attack on Eid, as “the administration, including the parking owners, had been preoccupied with minting money rather than maintaining security”.
The administration had approved a number of private parking lots near the main parking lot. “The parking contractors were not only overcharging, they also had no way of checking suspicious vehicles. They were not doing enough to safeguard visitors,” shoppers claimed.
Regret: Shopkeepers blamed the provincial government’s decision not to build a parking plaza opposite the current parking lot, saying that a lack of parking spaces was a major security concern. Citizens also criticised the government for allowing cars to be parked along a famous hospital complex, adjacent to the market, throughout the fortnight before Eid.
They claimed that the move was not only an inconvenience for people rushing to the hospital, but also a major security concern since it only resulted in added traffic in the area.
Risk: Robina Rana, a shopper, told Daily Times the government and market administration should not have allowed cars to be parked so close to shops in the markets. She said that so many cars being parked near visitors, especially women and children, was a major security threat.
She complained that parking contractors were openly overcharging customers, adding that no one was willing to take action against them.
Safdar Butt, one of the leading Liberty Market traders, told Daily Times the traders were facing a shortage of parking spaces in the area.
He said the market administration was aware of the problems and security hazards faced by shoppers, adding that they were helpless and could not do anything to help the public, as they had not been allowed to build a multi-storey parking lot by the current provincial government. Butt said the Liberty Market administration had asked district government officials to take action against the private contractors who had allowed parking outside nearby houses and overcharged shoppers, adding that their concerns fell on deaf ears. Amjad Zaheer, another prominent trader in market, said shoppers and traders were scared after the Moon Market blast, adding that security measures taken by the traders and the government “were adequate”.
He said the traders had learnt that terrorist might have targetted the market but they were not successful due to the security measures taken by the government. “There might be some security-related issues among traders due to political divisions, but they should unite and resolve their issues in the greater interest of their businesses and the public,” he said.
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Two more foreigners’ vehicles stopped, let go
* 4X4 vehicle stopped on Edgerton Road, released after US Consulate staff intervene
* SP says cars were only stopped for routine checking
Staff Report
LAHORE: Police on Saturday stopped two more cars carrying foreigners in different areas of the provincial capital, but allowed them to go without searching them after their official security squad arrived at the scene.
Police personnel stopped a vehicle carrying American nationals on Edgerton Road, who refused to be searched. US Consulate officials reached the spot and after brief negotiations, they were allowed to go.
In another incident, law enforcement personnel stopped a car near Sherpao Bridge. Sources told Daily Times that the passengers were British nationals working for an NGO. They were shifted to an undisclosed location and later released after verification of their documents.
SP Civil Lines Haider Ashraf said that the vehicles were stopped for routine checking, but were not searched because International Diplomatic Law does not allow local police to check the vehicles of foreigners. He said there was nothing significant about the cars being stopped because it was simply a routine check.
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Massive security steps fail to check use of fancy number plates
By Fazal Sher
ISLAMABAD: Massive security measures taken by Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) and special pickets established by law-enforcement agencies have failed to check the rising use of fancy numberplates, which is not only an open violation of Motor Vehicle Ordinance (MVO) but also causing security problems in the city.
Massive security arrangements across the city and patrolling by the ITP in the wake of increasing terrorist attacks bore no fruit to make the motorists bound to abide by the law and stop using fancy numberplates. “The capital police deployed at the pickets and patrolling ITP did not bother to take any action against the motorists who are using fancy numberplates, as so far the relevant authority has not made any effective efforts to control this violation, which is resulting in an increased use of illegal numberplates, said a police official.
He said it was responsibly of the capital police, ITP and Excise and Taxation Department (ETD) to make collect efforts to check use of unauthorised numberplates, as this negligence could help terrorists. Due to use of fancy and illegal numberplates the identification of a legal and fake numberplate of a vehicle becomes very difficult, he said, adding, the computerised numberplate issued by the ETD had a specific colour and size while the motorists in the city have displayed numberplates of different sizes and colours.
The official said people were using numberplates of various sizes and the digits on these plates were so small in size that they could not be read. Another reason of rising use of illegal numberplates is low amount of fine fixed by the authorities, he said.
He said ITP had sent a summery to the Interior Ministry seeking increase in the amount of fine from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 to discourage use of fancy and illegal numberplates.
The spokesmen for ITP said they had started a campaign against the vehicles having unauthorised registration numberplates. In the current year, the ITP issued tickets to 10,563 motorists, he added.
He said the ITP before launching the campaign also arranged different seminars to educate people on this issue. “ The ITP issue tickets for using illegal numberplate to a number of people on daily basis,” he said. He said the ITP had also sent a request to ETD to prepare quality numberplate by changing the current format.
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