All set to keep Tahirul Qadri away

Shakeel Anjum

Sunday, January 13, 2013

From Print Edition

Islamabad: The government, using all resources has finalised plan to keep Dr. Tahirul Qadri's long-march rally away from the sensitive areas of the federal capital.

Extra troops of paramilitary forces have landed in the city to counter any untoward incident during the rally and to tackle the possible clash between the law enforcing agencies and participants of the long-march.

Over 20,000 force including paramilitary troops would be used to maintain peace in Islamabad while, the army would remain alert to tackle extraordinary untoward situation, the sources said.

The Red Zone has factually been separated from other parts of the federal capital by creating ‘Berlin Wall’ to save the most sensitive area of the metropolis. All roads, leading to the Red Zone, have been blocked by placing containers including Jinnah Avenue, AK Fazal-ul-Haq Road, D-Chowk and Luqman Hakeem Roads and closed for any sort of commuters.

Hundreds of heavy containers have been put at Embassy Road to divide the city.

Special strategy has been shaped to handle the miscreants participating the rally, the sources said and added that extraordinary measures have been taken to counter the possible violence in or around the venue during the sit-in.

Extra forces have been called to aid civil administration to intercept the rally, sources engaged in making security plan, said, adding Rangers, Frontier Constabulary (FC), Punjab Constabulary (PC) as well as Azad Kashmir and Khayber Pakhtoonkhawa (KPK) have been deployed at sensitive installations and entry points while paramilitary troops would take positions in and around the metropolis on Sunday night, one day before the rally-plan.

The administration said that more containers will be placed on the roads and highways leading to the red zone. All incoming roads including Bahara Kahu, Tarnol, Faizabad, Rawat and Islamabad Expressway will be blocked. However, 9th Avenue will remain open, the sources maintained.

The district administration when contacted by this correspondent said, the administration of Minhaj-ul-Quran has not yet applied for NOC, adding that in that situation when section 144 has already imposed in Islamabad, the rally could not be allowed to enter into the federal capital.

The officials said that the organizers have to ensure that no participants carry and display arms and ammunitions after getting NOC from the district administration, adding that the organizers shall make sure that the security arrangements made by the police shall not be interfered with in any manner.

Fire Fighting arrangements have been carried out to cater for any eventuality. Medical Cover has been arranged in the venue and along the route.

Ambulances along with paramedical staff shall remain present. A dispensary is being established on Venue by the administration.

The organizers of the long march shall ensure that the rally does not swell out to other areas of the city and no damage to property and life is caused.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has been put of high-alert for the Long March with no leave for hospital staff, extra number of doctors and paramedical and nursing staff will be present and Out Patient Department will remain open and routine surgeries will be done routinely, Dr Waseem Khawaja, the focal person for media during the Long March, told The News.

A special emergency meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Executive Director of PIMS Professor Dr. Zaheer Abbasi on Saturday which was attended by all heads of departments of medical, surgical pharmacy, transport and nursing paramedics, security food and administrations of children and mother and child health and burn centre and it was unanimously decided.

“If any emergency situation arises then only emergency operations will be done. 200 extra beds have been marked and reserved for any disaster and this amount of beds can be increased by converting the OPDs of PIMS, children hospital and mother and child hospital into separate wards thus increasing the extra beds to 1000 more, reaching the capacity of present PIMS of 1000 to 2000 beds, sufficient number of blood bags have been stored, in emergency 200 patients medicines and operation things for 200 surgeries

stored and the pharmacy department ensured the regular supply of medicines to all the patients coming during long march.

extra staff of doctors, nurses paramedical will be present in the wards and all the nurses in the hostel will be on high alert and will join hospital in case of any emergency or if nurses from outside the hospital are unable to come to hospital, transport incharge ensures the availability of 20 well equipped ambulances with all the trained medical staff, kitchen department ensures the availability of food to patients and hospital staff if there is any interruption of food supply in twin cities, all the security staff will be on high alert during the march. Number of doctors in emergency will be doubled.

Incase of any disaster any employ of PIMS who listen about any incident will come to hospital whether he or she is on call or not, all the X Ray machines, CT scan and MRI machines will be operative round the clock and all the

laboratory staff will also be present to ensure uninterrupted investigations of all kinds. Residential arrangements for PIMS staff also arranged in the male and female hostels in PIMS.”

The Punjab Emergency Service, Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi will provide emergency cover to long march on 13th and

14th January, 2013 with 8

fully equipped ambulances, 12 fire truck, 3 rescue and recovery vehicles and 2 water bowzers.

In this regards leave of 400 rescuers have been canceled and assigned special emergency duties. Furthermore key points at Gujar Khan, Koral Chowk and Faizabad have also been established to provide swift emergency cover to any untoward incident.