Soon after the Ministry of Interior issued an alert expressing the possibility of an assassination attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf by his own guards, the government ordered the security profiling of all the police and Rangers personnel deployed during his movement between the twin cities.

Whenever the special court summons the former military ruler in connection with the treason case, about 2,000 security personnel are deployed on the route between the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi and the National Library in Islamabad where the special court has been set up.

On March 10, a day before the special court was scheduled to indict the former president for imposing an emergency on November 3, 2003, the ministry’s national crisis management cell in a letter to the police and the local administration stated: “It seems terrorists have penetrated or sympathisers in the security/cavalcade of retired General Pervez Musharraf to assassinate him.” The letter expressed the fear that Musharraf can be targeted in a similar manner in which former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in January 2011.

On March 11, though the security personnel had been deployed on the route, the former president’s lawyers informed the court that their client would not appear before the judges because of the latest threat to his life.

The court put off the proceedings but directed that Musharraf should appear before the court on March 14. In the meantime, the interior ministry assigned a senior police officer with the task to carry out a profiling of the police and Rangers officials being deployed for the security for Musharraf.

But during the four days, only 200 police and Rangers personnel could be given security clearance.

Since his arrival in the federal capital last year, scores of alerts about threats to the former president’s life have been issued. Besides, explosives were also recovered near his farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shehzad locality. But the latest alert was different in the sense that it expressed the possibility that Musharraf may be assassinated by his own security personnel. It was also stated that the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda have penetrated the security personnel to target Musharraf.

Who provide security to Musharraf?

The capital police, Rangers and former army officers are deployed for the security of the military ruler but their placement in the three security rings are different, said police officers while talking to Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

They said the police personnel were never allowed to get close to Musharraf as only retired army officials made the inner cordon of the security and always moved with him. These former armymen have been guarding Musharraf since the time when he held the dual offices of the president and the army chief.

As far as the police are concerned, only senior officers like the senior superintendent or the superintendent are allowed to get close and interact with Musharraf.

“The police only perform duty at the outer cordon. With his personal guards in the inner ring, officials from the security forces and Rangers are deployed in the middle cordon,” said the police officers.

They did not rule out the possibility of militants or their sympathisers penetrating into the security apparatus of the former president. “But it is a very difficult job to identify such elements. So security clearance of all those deployed with Musharraf is necessary.”

It may be noted that when Salman Taseer was assassinated by one of his security guards, the security profiling of all policemen deployed for the security of different personalities was made.In 2010, two personnel of the Frontier Constabulary were arrested for their alleged involvement in suicide attacks in Islamabad, including one at the United Nations World Food Programme.

How policemen are scrutinised?

The security assessment of the police personnel is carried out in separate stages. In the first phase, the official’s name, father name, designation, CNIC number, religion, race, education and address are collected. Later, all these information are verified with the department concerned as well as with the police of their native towns.Details about religious activities, behaviour with colleagues, involvement in brawls or scuffles, departmental action and registration of any case against them, if any, are also collected. Besides, details of habits, including involvement in gambling, drinking and other criminal activities are also gathered.

Similarly, the occupation of the father and siblings, sect, education, including religious, the name of the institute from where they got education, information about their relatives’ criminal activities and extremism, inclination and support to any extremist groups and political affiliations are also collected.

The personal views of the policemen as regard to actions against terrorists, including operations by the military, police and foreign forces against militants are also ascertained. Similarly, their views on the country’s current political and financial crises, including gas, power and price hike, are also taken.

However, the police officers were of the view that such system of assessment was not enough to read the minds of the personnel and their sympathies with militants.

After the latest threat, security clearance of some of the Rangers personnel was also taken but there is also a need for a complete assessment of the paramilitary troops deployed with the former president, added the police officers.