Pak authorities mull new secrity plan for diplomatic missions

Islamabad, Jul 7 (UNI) Important diplomatic missions here, especially the US and British ones, are discussing with Pakistani authorities new security plans which may include logistics of emergency evacuation, if needed.

The discussions for these emergency plans were started after the Western embassies noticed unusual night time activities of militants, some of whom had left messages against foreigners and Pakistani security forces in graffiti chalked out on Islamabad walls. The messages warned of attacks.

A counter campaign has been launched by the Islamabad administration to remove these messages as quickly as possible.

British High Commission spokesperson Katherine Beynon said, ''I am not prepared to discuss our security plans at all. We have plans and we are discussing them with the security agencies here in Pakistan.'' The new US embassy spokesperson, Kay Mayfield, when asked if there was some kind of evacuation plan being prepared, said, ''It is a very speculative question. The issue of emergency is very broad.

We are not going to come out with any explanation on it.'' ''The basic security arrangements and procedures are reviewed regularly and certainly there is not anything going on now that would be leading to evacuation, not at all,'' the spokesperson added.

Sources in the aviation sector said some arrangements had been discussed just in case some of the staff of the US or British embassies had to be moved out of Islamabad quickly.

The British diplomats have been planning to take some of their embassy services and staff to Dubai not only from Pakistan but also from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as part of their overall strategy to provide security to the staff and citizens.

Space has also been reportedly selected in Dubai for locating the facilities from these South Asian stations.

UNI XC SKB PM1425