Police instructed to tighten security at Qalandar’s shrine

• IGP Sindh identified a security lapse at Qalandar’s shrine
• Police chief has written a letter to DIG Hyderabad, SSP to tighten security
• It has also submitted an information report on the security lapse

KARACHI: Inspector-General Sindh has expressed grave concern over the lack of security and inadequate measures at the shine on Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif.

In this regard, the Office of IG Sindh has written a letter to Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Hyderabad and Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) over the “security lapse” at the shrine of Qalandar. The letter has been written by AIG Operations Captain (retd) Haider Raza.

The police officers have been directed to “ensure extreme vigilance and foolproof security arrangements” at the shrine to avoid any untoward incident. They have been asked to submit a report at the earliest to the IG Sindh.

The information report mentions 58 out of 183 cameras installed in control room number 1 and 2 of the shrine are not functioning. It added that six out of 12 walk-through gates installed at the entrance and exit are damaged or out of order.

The report also said that the boundary walls around the shrine are small. It expressed fear of terrorist activity due to inadequate security arrangements. The report said thousands of pilgrims visit the shine on a daily basis and there has been a suicide bomb attack before.

The police chief has directed to provide full proof security for the visitors and ensure their vacation. He has also instructed to ensure that CCTV camera are fully functional.

It must be mentioned that on 16 February 2017, a suicide bombing took place inside the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. At least 90 people were killed and over 300 injured in the attack.

The shrine of Syed Muhammad Usman Marwandi, the Sufi philosopher-poet better known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, is one of Pakistan’s most venerated saints. Each year, hundreds of thousands gather to celebrate the “Urs”, his death anniversary.

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