Hillary Clinton visits Lahore under heavy security

An extensive security blanket was clamped on this eastern Pakistani city today for a visit by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and key roads and public areas were declared "no go areas" for citizens.

Even the media was stopped from entering the airport to cover Clinton's arrival in the city this morning. "We have directions from the US consulate that media cannot be allowed to cover her arrival. They can only cover the venues Clinton visits," a senior police officer told reporters from TV channels.

"The media persons have been issued passes for interactions with Clinton only at Governor's House," he added. The busy Mall Road, Jail Road, Airport Road and the popular Data Darbar shrine were closed to traffic and motorists were diverted to alternate routes.

Educational institutions in these areas, like Punjab University, King Edward Medical College and Sacred Hard School, too were closed. At least 1,000 policemen were deployed to provide security to Clinton. Police checked and sanitised sites Clinton would visit with the help of sniffer dogs and bomb disposal experts.

Officials escorting Clinton's motorcade and guarding 120 points across the city were equipped with bulletproof jackets and sophisticated weapons.