Security beefed up in Lahore after inputs of terror threat

Law enforcement authorities today enhanced security in this eastern Pakistani city following intelligence reports that the capital of Punjab province could face a terrorist attack similar to the one on the navy's main air station in Karachi.

A senior police officer told PTI that information gleaned from some arrested terrorists revealed that anti-state elements "might hit Lahore on a wider scale to fulfil their nefarious designs" within the next few days.

In response to this information, police high-ups convened an emergency meeting today to discuss the situation
and to finalise a comprehensive plan to thwart an terrorist attack.

The police has been put on red alert, especially for the next 24 hours, and additional deployments have been made at the entry points of the city, sensitive installations and public buildings," the officer said.

Patrolling on the roads too has been enhanced, he said.

A group of heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed the PNS Mehran naval airbase in Karachi on Sunday and killed 10 security personnel before four of the attackers were killed or blew themselves up.

The terrorists also destroyed two maritime surveillance aircraft.


The US has drawn up a list of five terrorists, including Ilyas Kashmiri who has been linked to the Mumbai attacks, it expects Pakistan to provide intelligence about immediately and possibly target in joint operations, according to a media report today.

The list was discussed during three meetings between Pakistani and US officials in the past two weeks, including secretary of state Hillary Clinton's talks with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad yesterday, ABC News quoted a US official, a Pakistani government official and a Pakistani intelligence official as saying.

The list also includes Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar, commander Siraj Haqqani and Atiya Abdel Rahman, the Libyan operations chief of al-Qaeda.

The US views the list as a test of whether Pakistan is "serious about fighting terrorists who have long enjoyed safe havens within its borders", the report said.

An American source too confirmed the existence of the list to the Dawn newspaper and said the US softening its position on unilateral action against terrorists found in Pakistan was conditional.

"The message given to Pakistani leaders was loud and clear: you either cooperate with us on these...terrorists or we'll take care of them by ourselves," the source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Ilyas Kashmiri has emerged as one of the most dangerous terrorists in recent years. He is a militant with international goals and connections across Arabia and South Asia.