Security Briefing - 4 March 2009

Pakistan’s capacity to provide high level security for foreign visitors has been widely condemned following the 3 March attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Six police officers and a driver were killed during the attack which took place near Liberty Chowk in central Lahore. The weapons allegedly used include AK-47 rifles, rocket grenade launchers, hand grenades and plastic explosives; however it is not yet clear which terrorist group was responsible.

Current Situation

The country’s police force is desperately conducting a nationwide hunt for the terrorists in a bid to ease embarrassment for the national security services. Despite several suspects being detained, Lahore’s police chief, Haji Habibur Rehman, has admitted that specific leads are yet to be established. Opposition leader Imran Khan has described the level of security provided to the Sri Lankan team as “shameful” and “one of the worst security failures in Pakistan” while the high-profile nature of the attack has greatly increased pressure on the country’s struggling government.

A leaked report from the Punjab’s Crime Investigation Department has revealed that authorities were aware of the plot against the Sri Lankan cricketers six weeks ago. The fact that Punjab’s former chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, had requested that “extreme vigilance and heightened security (be) made to avert any untoward incident” casts great doubt over the ability of Pakistan’s security forces to protect foreign targets, even when armed with prior warnings of a potential attack.

International Operations Group - Analysis

Concerns continue to mount about Pakistan’s ability to counter rising levels of militancy in many parts of the country with the scale and frequency of attacks increasing in recent months. The ease with which the Lahore attack was carried out and the international attention it attracted may embolden terrorist groups to carry out further high-profile attacks on foreign interests and personnel in the near future.

No part of Pakistan is safe from terrorism at present and, although terrorists predominantly target the authorities, locations frequented by foreign personnel are also at high risk. Companies should ensure that their personnel exercise a heightened state of vigilance and take extra security precautions in Pakistan. Personnel should try to stay away from government installations, uniformed personnel and crowded areas in towns and cities as much as possible.

All business-related travel to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, North West Frontier province, North and Western Balochistan, border regions, the city of Peshawar and the Swat region should be avoided and companies with interests and personnel in these regions should exercise extreme caution. Non-essential business travel to Quetta should also be avoided.

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