MANDI BAHAUDDIN/HAFIZABAD
A meeting of the District Coordination Committee was held with Punjab Minister for Women Development Hameeda Waheed in the chair and the presence of various people's representatives to review the security situation of schools.
Addressing the meeting, the minister stressed the beefing up of security arrangements especially for schools across the district. She said the country was passing through a critical stage due to security threats from terrorists. It is the responsibility of every citizen to keep a vigilant eye on the suspicious elements, she stressed. Any information about terrorists must be passed to the security agencies, she appealed to the public.
The meeting also reviewed the pace of work at developmental schemes and the performance of educational institutions. The security arrangements including installation of CCTV cameras, raising boundary walls to eight feet high and installing barbed wires on top of the walls of schools and colleges were reviewed..
MNA Nasir Bosal, MPA Mahfooz Mashdi, DCO Muzaffar Sial, DO Afzaal Warriach and the heads of other departments were also present. The DCO directed the officials concerned to accelerate work at the under-construction schemes. He also stressed a need for closely supervising those schemes. He asked the officers to cancel the contract of those failing to complete the schemes within the stipulated time. No negligence and use of substandard material would be tolerated, the DCO warned. Later, the minister visited various schools to check the security measures.
In Hafizabad, the steps were reviewed by the district administration to fight terrorism. Joint strategy was being adopted to ensure security of offices, government installations, places of worships and educational institutions, said officialdom.
Officers declared that the government and the Pak Army were determined to win the war against terrorism, and Army was fully prepared to weed out terrorism from the country.
They however maintained that all of us should be prepared to eradicate terrorism. They also highlighted the role of intelligence agencies for prompt action. They also stressed a need for constituting quick response teams.
The DCO and DPO told the visiting Army personnel that the administration and police were fully prepared to meet any eventually and have made fool proof security arrangements in this connection. They also assured them that strict monitoring would be made at all the entry and exit points in the district.