Anyone attempting to sabotage on the pretext of crisis of power, gas and water during Ramzan will be tried under the Anti-terrorism Act. Home minister Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, at a meeting on maintaining law and order during the holy month of Ramzan, had directed the authorities to avoid any untoward incident, sources told The Independent on Wednesday. Quoting an intelligence agency report, a senior home ministry official said that there was apprehension that a vested quarter would try to create anarchy during Ramzan, using gas, power or water crisis as an excuse. The quarter had been trying to attempt acts of sabotage for the past few years in the name of political crisis and to foil the trial of the war criminals, he added.
The official said that the home minister had ordered law enforcement agencies to arrest all those officials and employees of the power sector who would cause load-shedding and power crisis during Ifter, Sehri and Tarabi prayers.
The home ministry official also said that the minister had asked all law enforcement agencies to put an end to such anti-social activities at any cost.
For ensuring law and order across the country during the Ramzan, the minister had advised the agencies to deploy plainclothes security officials at all the important places such as shopping malls, bus and launch stations, the official added.
After the meeting, the home minister directed the law enforcement agencies to punish traders who would try to hoard essential commodities. The minister assured that his ministry had asked all concerned not to hike the prices of essential commodities during Ramzan.
-With The Independent input
