Authorities in Islamabad tighten security in federal capital, sealing off Red Zone to traffic-
An advance team from the United States has arrived in Islamabad as Pakistan prepares to host the second round of talks between the Washington and Iran, sources said on Sunday.
Advance teams from foreign delegations have begun arriving in the country ahead of the much-anticipated talks, sources said.
A day earlier, the Rawalpindi police were put on high alert on the directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mahmood Hamdani.
“Rawalpindi Police have placed the city on high security alert and implemented extraordinary arrangements to ensure foolproof security in view of the movement of foreign delegations,” state-run news agency, APP, reported.
More than 10,000 police officers and personnel were deployed across the city to perform security duties, while over 600 special pickets were established with strict monitoring of all entry and exit points being done.
Special teams of Elite Commandos and trained snipers had been assigned security responsibilities, while the Elite Force, Dolphin Force, police station mobiles, and other quick response units conducted patrolling throughout the city.
Search, sweep, combing, and intelligence-based operations had also been intensified, with close monitoring and checking of suspicious individuals continuing across Rawalpindi.
Security around sensitive installations, key public and private locations and residential places of importance has been further tightened, while Safe City surveillance, CCTV cameras and modern monitoring systems are being used for round-the-clock observation.
Authorities in the twin cities had announced a two-day holiday on April 10 and 11, as Pakistan hosted the high-stakes talks between the US and Iran.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited delegations from Washington and Tehran for peace talks after brokering a two-week ceasefire between the two sides on April 8.
The Middle East conflict began on February 28, following joint strikes by the US and Israel against. The scope of the conflict quickly spread as Tehran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory attacks against Israel and US bases across the Gulf region.
After agreeing to the PM Shehbaz-facilitated ceasefire, the two sides held negotiations in Islamabad on a wide range of disputes. However, the talks could result in an agreement for a permanent end to the conflict.
However, Pakistan continued its marathon efforts to help resolve longstanding disputes between the two sides, including COAS-CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran, where he met Iran’s top political and military leadership.
A day after CDF Munir’s visit, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open, citing the agreement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
However, the country blocked the waterway again, citing Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports as the reason.
Despite lingering issues, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said talks with Washington have seen “progress,” but “many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”
“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf in a televised address earlier today.
US President Donald Trump has also said that “very good conversations” were going on with Iran, but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” Washington.
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