As part of security precautions ahead of the visit of an Iranian delegation led by President Ebrahim Raisi, the municipal government of Karachi has banned the use of any sort of camera drone for at least seven days in the city under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The police requested the prohibition, which is in place until April 28 and will not be lifted, according to an official statement.
Citing a letter from the Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) stating that “there are serious threats to vital installations by the anti-state elements/hostile agencies in the wake of recent attacks on foreigners,” Commissioner Karachi Division Syed Hassan Naqvi announced the ban.
In Karachi’s Landhi neighborhood on Saturday, at least three terrorists specifically targeted foreigners. Two terrorists and a private security guard were killed in the terror incident.
The Karachi commissioner banned the deployment of drone cameras in District South of the port city on March 31 in response to an attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan, claiming “threats to vital installations, and Chinese Consulate.”
Notably, in an effort to “avoid inconvenience to the general public,” the Sindh government has also announced a public holiday in the Karachi division for Tuesday, April 23, in honor of visiting foreign leaders, including the president of Iran.
According to the Foreign Office, the Iranian president will pay a formal visit to Pakistan on Monday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 24.
The Foreign Office claimed that the Iranian president would be accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation that included top officials, a sizable business delegation, the foreign minister, and other cabinet members.
