Voting on no-trust move: Foolproof security planned for Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad administration has decided to take foolproof security measures in place on the day of voting on the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan, ARY News reported on Friday.

It has been decided to declare the Red Zone as a highly restricted area as the general public will not be allowed to enter the premises. Only Margala Road will be opened for entering the Red Zone, whereas, three-layer containers will be installed on other entrance routes.

On the voting day, political rallies will not be allowed to enter Islamabad from Rawalpindi.

8,000 security personnel of the Punjab police will be deployed in two shifts. For the Islamabad security, the services of 3,000 officials of Punjab police and 1,000 Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers have been sought, whereas, the security duties will also be assisted by Rangers.

Moreover, Islamabad police also acquired visitors’ data for entering the Parliament Lodges and the National Assembly (NA) speaker will be requested to bar the entry of unauthorised persons.

Earlier in the day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the opposition has proven its majority in the National Assembly and PM Imran Khan has practically become “former PM.”

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in a press briefing on Friday, said that there will be “severe consequences” if the PTI government tries to stop any MNA from going to the Parliament. Anyone who tries to do any such activity would be charged under Article 6 (treason), Bilawal added.

Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif also wrote a letter to the interior ministry seeking foolproof security for MNAs during voting on the no-trust resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PML-N president, in a letter to the interior secretary, quoted PM Imran Khan’s statement of calling 100,000 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) supporters in the federal capital on the day of the vote.

The letter further said that the district administration and the police should “perform their duties in accordance with the Constitution and the law” to ensure the security of the parliamentarians.