New Delhi: Pakistan has turned into a virtual fortress ahead of the return of its exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. A security blanket has been thrown over Karachi, where Benazir will arrive after her flight lands later in the day.
Pakistani officials in charge of the security are leaving nothing to chance given the death threats from jehadis and have made elaborate arrangements.
IG Karachi Jehangir Mirza told CNN-IBN the roads leading to the city have sealed. “We have sealed off side roads with shipping containers. Bomb squads have also combed the streets following threats by Taliban commander Baitullah Masood,” he said.
More than 3,500 police officers and 5,000 supporters have been deployed to patrol the route, Mirza said, adding schools and colleges will remain shut.
“This will be 10 miles journey and looking at the crowd, it may take whole day,” Mirza said.
Benazir’s fleet would include a bullet-proof Mercedez car attached with bulletproof troller and a suicide bomb detector. The troller will be used as high rise public address stage, Pakistan official Wajid Shamsul Hasan said.
In case of an emergency, there’s also a helicopter on the standby.
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