Pak prepares plan to deal with bomb attacks, hostage taking

Authorities here have drawn up a plan to deal with contingencies like bomb attacks and
hostage taking following reports that militants could enter cities in the guise of people displaced by military operations against the Taliban in the country's northwest.

A spokesman for the city administration told reporters that the "plan of action" was framed at a meeting chaired by Islamabad capital territory chief commissioner Fazeel Asghar on Tuesday.

Under the plan, all departments have been asked to prepare "Standard Operating Procedures" (SOPs) for coping with emergencies within two days. These SOPs will be reviewed at another meeting to be held on Friday.

The police department, district administration, civil defence and state-run hospitals are among the organisations that have been directed to prepare the SOPs. Though most
departments have such procedures, they were found wanting in dealing with emergencies like the suicide car bombing of the Marriott Hotel last year.

Authorities also plan to hold mock exercises to assess the response of departments to any emergency, officials said. Under the new plan, a deputy commission will go to the
site of an untoward incident and establish a quick response team and a command post. Police will create inner and outer cordons to secure the site and collect evidence.

Authorities across Pakistan have been bracing for attacks that could be carried out by the Taliban in retaliation for the military operations against the militants in Buner, Dir and Swat districts. The government has claimed that over 1,000 militants have been killed in this offensive.

Though the Taliban are currently on the run, militant spokesmen have pledged to retaliate against the operations.