ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken measures to ensure foolproof security arrangements are in place ahead of the visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday, officials told Arab News on Friday.
“Main security arrangements have been handed over to the army,” Islamabad Capital Territory Police Spokesman, Inspector Naeem Iqbal said. “The police will assist the army and ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the city.”
He added that a traffic plan has been devised to avoid congestion on the main roads, with “commuters coming in from Rawalpindi to Islamabad encouraged to use the 9th Avenue on February 16 and 17.”
“However, the Kashmir Highway will remain open for traveling to the airport, motorways and other parts of the country,” he said.
When asked about the deployment of police personnel, he said: “Around 4,000 personnel have been deployed in the city. All the important locations are manned, including the entry and exit points of the federal capital. Over 1,200 security pickets will be established at different points of the city. People traveling around are also advised to carry their CNICs [Computerized National Identity Cards] with them.”
The crown prince is due to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday as part of a two-day visit which is being seen as an apogee of strong ties between the two allies.
He is expected to sign a range of agreements worth up to $15 billion, including deals for three power plants in Pakistan’s Punjab province and an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in the coastal city of Gwadar in the Balochistan province.
Army tasked with ensuring tight security ahead of crown prince’s visit
Army tasked with ensuring tight security ahead of crown prince’s visit
- Elaborate measures in place before Saudi royal’s trip begins on Saturday
- Over 1,200 security pickets will be established in Islamabad, police officials say
Pakistan Customs seize ecstasy tablets worth $1 million in Karachi
- Pakistan Customs has initiated investigation to identify recipients, facilitators of smuggling attempt, says FBR
- Ecstasy, also known as “party drug,” causes energizing effect, enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs this week foiled a bid to smuggle more than 9,000 MDMA or ecstasy tablets into the country valued at Rs299.8 million [$1 million], the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement.
According to the FBR, the narcotics were found concealed inside speakers and LED lamps in a parcel that arrived from Germany at the International Mail Office in the southern port city of Karachi.
It said the shipment had been falsely declared as containing “clothes, socks and music boxes.”
“Officials of the Airport Cargo Control Unit (ACCU), Collectorate of Customs Airports Karachi, seized 9,455 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets valued at Rs299.791 million during a targeted inspection,” the FBR said on Friday.
“Customs authorities have initiated further investigation to identify the recipients and facilitators of the smuggling attempt.”
Ecstasy/MDMA acts as both a stimulant and hallucinogen, producing an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences.
Adolescents and young adults use it around the world to reduce inhibitions and to promote euphoria, feelings of closeness, and empathy.
Known as a “party drug,” ecstasy is consumed in both pill and powder form.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts against clamping down on illegal drugs, with authorities frequently seizing large quantities of narcotics such as heroin, ecstacy, ice and hashish across the country.
In November, Pakistan Navy seized narcotics worth Rs36 billion ($130 million) under a Saudi-led maritime task force.
In October, another Pakistan Navy ship seized a record haul worth nearly Rs271 billion ($972 million), one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.
