Amid reports that cellular services would remain suspended in seven major cities of the country from 9am to 11pm today (Friday), strict security measures have been devised for the provincial capital in view of protest rallies to be taken out today against an anti-Islam film that has garnered worldwide condemnation.
A foolproof security plan has been put in place for protest rallies with 14,800 police personnel deployed at various places of the city for security purposes, sources said. Sources told Pakistan Today that along with several other political and religious parties, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Majlis e Wahdat e Muslameen (MWM), Jamiat Ulema e Islam (JUI), Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), and All Pakistan Traders’ Council would assemble at Nasir Bagh to take part in the rally.
Per schedule, the rally would begin at Nasir Bagh and would march as far as the Lahore High Court (LHC) where leaders of the rally would address the participants. Roads would be completely sealed for all kinds of traffic from the Lower Mall to Government College University, from Post Master General’s office to the Punjab Civil Secretariat, and from Charring Cross to the US Consulate.
To tackle any untoward situation, police would also be deployed on the rooftops of the buildings situated on The Mall. All roads leading to the US Consulate have been blocked by placing containers. A senior police official told Pakistan Today that surety bonds would be collected from various religious parties that they would not harm any government or private property. He said the containers put in the surrounding areas of the US Consulate would remain there for 15 days and nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands. The official said that the police would not stop any peaceful demonstrators from registering their protest, but miscreants would not be spared.
