Entry, exit points of Lahore’s Cantt sealed with containers, barbed wire

LAHORE: The law enforcement agencies have sealed all the entry/exit points of the Lahore Cantonment by placing dozens of containers and barbed wire on them, disallowing every kind of traffic to and from the specific sensitive areas.

There were reports that a heavy deployment of the LEAs, including a large number of police personnel, has been made at the points in addition to other stringent measures.

An official said the extreme steps were taken in the aftermath of the recent attacks of the PTI workers on the Jinnah House (Corps Commander House) and other sensitive buildings/installations of the Pakistan Army in Cantt.

“No transport is allowed to use these roads to enter or leave the sensitively declared part of the Lahore Cantt,” he said.

The official added that the people residing in the Lahore Cantt were advised to use smaller roads pointed out for the purpose. These small arteries too had been heavily manned by the personnel of the Rangers and the police, he said and added that the security officials also placed barriers on the roads specified for temporary use as entry and exit points.

There are reports that the local residents of the Lahore Cantt are facing inconvenience to perform their daily routine activities.

The police said the security measures were taken for a specific period to secure the sensitive installations, following the tension due to the violent agitations of a political party.

To a question about the education activities in Cantt, the official said the security situation would return to normal in the coming few days and the students would resume activities accordingly.

To another query, the official denied the reports that the Lahore Cantt has been made a ‘no-go area’ for the general public. He said the local residents and other people requiring entry were allowed to enter the Cantt area after a security process enforced for identification.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2023