Security beefed up in Pak fearing attacks by militants

Security has been beefed up in Pak after intelligence agencies feared attacks by suicide bombers.

Security has been beefed up in Pakistan after intelligence agencies feared attacks by suicide bombers on sensitive installations and religious places in the country.

Security officials said they had received information that terrorists were planning to attack religious places, police installations and security personnel. Security forces have been directed not to gather in groups, especially when in uniform.

Heavy police contingents have been deployed at worship places, foreign installations, important buildings and police stations as well as at the Capital City Police Office (CCPO) and Central Police Office (CPO), the Daily Times newspaper reported on Saturday.

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Security personnel in plain clothes have also been deployed at airports, railway stations, bus stands and shopping centres.

A roadside bomb hit a Pakistani security forces convoy on Friday in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), killing a soldier and wounding 12 others.

Such attacks have become common in NWFP, where the government has deployed about 90,000 troops to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters.

Pakistani forces have been battling al-Qaeda and Taliban linked militants in the restive northern region bordering Afghanistan.

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The Pakistani military has been hit with a spate of attacks, including suicide bombings, since July when security forces killed at least 100 people including militants in a raid at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid.