Pakistan is hosting high-level delegations from Iran and the US as both warring sides attempt to agree to a framework that consolidates the ongoing temporary ceasefire into lasting peace in the Middle East. The high-stakes trilateral talks – involving Pakistan as the mediator – are taking place at the luxury five-star Serena Hotel in Islamabad.
The hotel is one of Pakistan’s most prominent five-star properties and regularly acts as a venue for high-level diplomatic engagements. It is located in Islamabad’s high-security Red Zone, which is also the address for key government offices and foreign embassies.
ISLAMABAD SERENA HOTEL FORTIFIED
Spread across landscaped gardens near the Margalla Hills and Rawal Lake, the Islamabad Serena Hotel fuses traditional Islamic architecture with modern luxury. Its 15-acre premises include more than 400 rooms, multiple banquet halls, conference rooms and an office complex.
The hotel can house hundreds of guests at once. Thousands of security personnel, including paramilitary and army troops, have been deployed to secure the luxury hotel for the ongoing in-person talks between Iran and the US.
The fortification of the venue is all the more important given that the nearby Marriott hotel witnessed Islamabad’s worst terrorist attack in 2008.
WHY THE SERENA HOTEL?
The Islamabad Serena Hotel’s picturesque grounds and Moorish architecture belie what security experts describe as a well-oiled security setup.
They pointed to its strategic location close to the diplomatic zone and years of maintaining the safety of high-profile guests.
“Its security staff is well-trained as most of them are retired security officials,” former Islamabad police chief Tahir Alam Khan was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
He also highlighted the layout of the entry and exit points as one of the important factors that make the hotel a relatively safe property in case of a breach of the outer perimeter.
“The entry and exit points are at an adequate distance from the main compound which enhances its security. And the most important factor is its smooth access from the important places such as the Prime Minister’s House, Parliament House,” Khan said.
Kaleem Imam, another former police chief, told Reuters that the Serena Hotel “has multi-layered, strict security checks.” He added that the hotel’s management also has “strong coordination with the state’s security agencies.”
(With inputs from agencies)
