PESHAWAR: After the terrorist attack on Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, the police and other security agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been put on red alert to ward off any terrorist attack.

Provincial home secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah has asked all the police officers and administrations across the province to form contingents of police commandos in their respective areas and put them on red alert to avert any mishap, according to a handout issued here on Tuesday.He directed the law enforcement agencies to deploy commandos at the airports, railway stations, bus stands and other sensitive areas of the province because these places could be possible targets of terrorists. The home secretary had called for strictly observing surveillance on the entry points and checking of all vehicles entering cities.

He said that all hotels, guesthouses and areas with rented houses must be strictly monitored.

Mr Shah said that the entire data of extortionists and kidnappers had been prepared and operation against them would be launchedsoon.

When asked about the security measures taken in Peshawar, SSP Najeebur Rehman told Dawn that the Rapid Response Force (RRF) would effectively respond within 10 minutes if any Karachi-like terrorist attack was made. The RRF, a force of the police commandos, has been established recently to counter terrorist attacks, he said.

About the security of Bacha Khan International Airport, the SSP said that five checkposts had already been established around the boundary wall of the airport. He said that the police officials at these check-posts had been directed to remain fully alert.

Mr Rehman, who looks after police operations in Peshawar, said that lists of 600 proclaimed offenders belonging to the tribal areas and wanted to Peshawar police had been handed over to the political agents of adjacent tribal agencies to nab them.

All the SHOs of police stations in the city and adjacent areas have also been asked to launch a crackdown on the criminals wanted to police in various crimes, the SSP said. He added that the data of 50,000 tenants had been collected by police.