LAHORE Confirming that various important Al-Qaeda operatives have been killed in recent US drone strikes in the troubled northwestern region, the Ministry of Interior has sounded countrywide threat alert, warning of strong backlash against unmanned predator drones, well-placed sources confided to TheNation on Friday. The sources also revealed that on the directions of the Punjab Home Department, Section 144 has been imposed across the province to keep the situation under control during Muharram. As per fresh directive, display of weapons, assembly of more than five people and rallies have been banned in the province. The National Crisis Management Cell of the Interior Ministry had forwarded a confidential communiqu to all provincial governments, heads of FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on December 9, 2010, warning that extraordinary security measures are necessary to avoid any untoward incident as al Qaeda is planning to target sensitive places inside Pakistan. The threat alert (No 542) says, According to reliable information, various al Qaeda operatives including high-value targets (HVTs) have been killed during recent drone attacks. It has been learnt that as a backlash, Al-Qaeda is planning to carry out terrorist activities against sensitive targets inside Pakistan. No specific information regarding the location, date, time and type of attack is available. Foregoing in view, extreme vigilance, and heightened security be maintained at all levels to avoid any untoward incident, said the threat alert. According to a copy available with The Nation, the threat alert has been sent to the Home Secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The threat alert has also been forwarded to all the provincial police officers, IG FC of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, DG Rangers Punjab and Sindh, Commandant Frontier Constabulary KP, Chief Commissioner ICT, IGPs of Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said that as a matter of fact, terrorism is being exported to Pakistan from Afghanistan. Pakistan Armed Forces are continuously at war with terrorists in Fata and are inflicting heavy losses on them. Soldiers have lost their lives in operations. When the US drones attack Taliban and Al-Qaeda figures, they carry out revenge attacks and target innocent and unarmed people even at religious places, a source said, requesting anonymity. The entire local population in Fata and other agencies is whole-heartedly supporting the law enforcement agencies in their fight against Taliban. Locals are against them and Taliban can never regain foothold in Swat and South Waziristan, another defence pundit said. He maintained that terrorists are being funded by sources outside Pakistan. Religious leaders say that mosques and shrines are symbols of peace and no one can even think of violating their sanctity, but terrorists are targeting these holy places for the fulfilment of their nefarious designs. Terrorist attacks on religious processions, mosques and shrines are slanderous for Islam and are defaming the virtues of Islam. There is a dire need to unite against such hostile elements so as to frustrate their designs, a religious leader said.