Stadium vicinity searched before match

LAHORE:Police conducted search operations before the first Independence Cup match around the stadium on Tuesday.  These search and sweep operations have been conducting for the last many days. Security at entry and exit points of the city was stepped up. Before the match, officials of Bombs Disposal Squad, sniffer dogs and special branch thoroughly checked the stadium and surroundings.

World XI team was escorted to the stadium with a cavalcade amid strict security measures to the stadium. Besides vehicles of Elite, Dolphin, PRU, vehicles of army, rangers were also with the squad.

An aerial surveillance of the ground was also conducted. Snipers were deployed on nearby buildings to keep an eye on suspicious person or activity. Men in civvies were also deployed on the occasion.

Police officials were deployed on the route of the team. Teams of Police Response Unit and Dolphin Squad remained on patrolling in nearby areas. Water and food to police officials was at their duty points by mobile-canteen.

Punjab Safe City Authority had installed over 200 CCTV cameras for live monitoring of the security arrangements at route and inside stadium. They had also handed over 4-G wireless handsets to SPs for effective communications. These handsets could also be used for live video streaming at operations room of the safe city.

PSCA’s office was being used as control room. Managing Director, PSCA, DIG Amir Malik at the beginning of the day had briefed the PSCA team for their duties and security plan. Officials of army and rangers assisted police in maintaining security arrangements on the occasion. Ten police officers from other districts were also called in to help the Lahore police.

EU delegation: A two-member delegation of European Union (EU) on Tuesday visited Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) Punjab and held talks with Director General Syed Javed Iqbal Bokhari. 

Members of the delegation included Minister Counsellor & Head of Cooperation, Bernard Francois and Second Secretary & HR and Gender Officer Ingeborg Zorn. Purpose of the meeting was to devise a rehabilitation mechanism for Pakistani returnees and to gain updated information about the initiatives of OPC for the welfare of expatriate Pakistanis.

OPC DG informed the delegation that the innovative step of establishing OPC has been taken to secure the rights of Pakistanis living abroad. Since its inception, this institution has executed exceptional performance in resolution of complaints of Overseas Pakistanis and 50pc issues have been resolved with the intervention of OPC.