The Lahore Police have refused to provide extra staff for security of the Governor’s House claiming that police were already facing a shortage of officials, sources told Pakistan Today.
According to details, Military Secretary to the Governor’s House Lieutenant Colonel Mazharul Hassan wrote a letter to the IGP to further strengthen security at the Governor’s House. The letter stated that there was an acute shortage of policemen to meet the minimum requirement for security of the Governor’s House and in the prevailing condition, there was a serious need to enhance security arrangements at the Governor’s House.
The letter stated that 33 percent of the pickets were being unmanned at different places in the Governor’s House due to shortage of policemen deputed for security. The letter stated that top cops had calculated the strength of policemen for security of the Governor’s House around 13 years ago in 1998-99. The letter stated that the number of security officials deputed for security of the Governor’s House was the same in 2011, which were deputed by top cops back in 1998-99. The letter said that 15 pickets out of the 45 were unmanned at the Governor’s House, which was creating serious loopholes in security of the Governor’s House. The military secretary, after describing the present security situation at the Governor’s House, requested the IGP to increase the number of security men at the Governor’s House.
He also requested the IGP to immediately deploy 68 well-trained cops with a good record. Sources told that IGP Javed Iqbal, responding to the letter of the military secretary, directed authorities concerned, including Lahore Capital City Police Officer Ahmed Raza Tahir, DIG Operations Ghulam Mehmood Dogar and SP Security Jawad Qamar to take immediate action in this regard and provide the desired security to the Governor’s House. But despite orders of the IGP, the Lahore Police have not yet provided security to the Governor’s House. Sources in police said that the Lahore Police refused to provide the required policemen to the Governor’s House claiming that police did not have enough resources to further tighten security at the Governor’s House. Sources claimed that top cops of the Lahore Police believed that the department was already facing serious shortage of men.
