Guards everywhere but no guns

There are more than 200 Anti-Terrorist Force ATF commandoes inside the National Stadium but you won8217;t see a single gun. Security for this Third Test is heavy but the unspoken diktat is, it shouldn8217;t be visible.

8216;8216;We don8217;t need guns at a place when two countries are busy playing a sport,8217;8217; says Wahid Khan, chief security officer responsible for the Indian team. So even tomorrow, and the subsequent days, you won8217;t see weapons while the match is on. Yet the security is everywhere. CCTVs and metal detectors while walking in or out of the ground, a posse of 45 policemen to accompany the team at any given point of time, four policemen to every cricketer on his own. 8216;8216;Every single person entering or making an exit is photographed8217;8217;, says Rizwan Hyder, in charge of electronic security systems inside the stadium. He mans a 1,500-strong police force from a control room that has all the stands on his computer screens all the time.

Out on the streets, there8217;s a definite buzz.8216;8216;Welcome to the safe city of Karachi, wishing you happy cricket,8217; read a placard outside the National Stadium where fans watched the Indians.

One boy tried to get Dravid8217;s autograph when the cricketer was making his way out of the stadium. The securitymen wouldn8217;t have it, but the youngster stuck to his job and eventually managed to get it. The cop told him: 8216;8216;Aap bahut khushnaseeb hain. Warna hamara to kaam hi yeh hai ki koi player ke paas na jaa sake.8221;