Pakistani police officers surround the Supreme Court building Aug 2, 2013.
Pakistan’s security forces have been put on high alert after a warning by law enforcement agencies that pro-Taliban militants might be planning the “biggest ever” attack in major cities.
Pakistan deployed troops and raised the level of security at airports, military instillations, and Western missions in cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Pakistani security sources say elite commandos from anti-terror police are combing the Margalla Hills overlooking the capital Islamabad.
“Our men are searching through the hills,” said Sikandar Hayat, the Islamabad police chief, adding, “We have a very specific threat.”
The security officials say they fear the thickly forested mountains around the capital city of Islamabad could provide militants with a launch pad for attacks on the city.
The police chief also announced an indefinite period of red alert in Islamabad and its adjacent areas.
“We are on red alert for an indefinite period. It is the highest level of security,” Hayat added.
Hayat also said special security arrangements have been made at the Presidential Palace, the prime minister’s secretariat and residence and a fortified walled enclave housing embassies in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, authorities in the southern province of Sindh have called in paramilitary commandos to secure jails in Hyderabad and Sukkur towns.
Army troops were also deployed on Tuesday at central jail in northwestern city of Peshawar, which holds high profile Taliban inmates.
The developments come days after heavily-armed militants launched an attack on the prison in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan and walked away with dozens of senior Taliban commanders.
The Pakistani army has launched several fresh operations in the troubled northwestern and southwestern regions in a bid to flush out militants from the volatile areas.
Despite the Pakistani government’s operations against Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and associated groups, they have still been able to spread their influence in various regions of the country and kill thousands of people.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001 when Pakistan entered an alliance with the United States on the so-called war against terrorism, according to local media.
Thousands others have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.
Since late 2009, there has been a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan.
JR/PR
Republished from: Press TV