ISLAMABAD: Authorities have decided to reduce the number of entry points in Islamabad to 25 as part of a major security overhaul of the Pakistani capital, the interior ministry said on Friday.
The development follows a suicide blast that last month killed at least 32 people and injured more than 100 others at a mosque in Islamabad. In November last year, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the capital, killing 12 people.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) introduced an electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
On Friday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi presided over a meeting to review law and order situation in the capital and directed officials formulate an effective strategy in this regard, according to his ministry.
“The number of entry points in Islamabad will be reduced from 109 to 25 gradually,” the ministry said, adding that officials were asked to make the Red Zone, which houses key government institutions and foreign missions, practically active.
The directives also come days after deadly protests against the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Islamabad, when several protesters were injured in clashes with police after they had barged into the Red Zone.
Naqvi ordered foolproof security in the city through strict monitoring at checkpoints and entry points.
“Law and order will have to be ensured in the federal capital at all costs,” he added.
Late last year, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration also introduced an electronic tagging system as part of a effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in Islamabad.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
