On Friday, more than 5,500 police personnel will be deployed in Karachi for the security of Muharram’s eighth processions.
Strict security measures are being taken throughout the country, such as the deployment of the army, as well as an offensive against sectarian content and hate traffickers, ahead of Ashura (Muharram 10), which will be observed on Sunday.
According to Karachi police, up to 829 processions and 5,227 Majalis take place during Muharram’s first 10 days.
“Karachi police [are] performing [their] Duties in several places in the city for the security of the octaves Muharram processions, ”said a statement from the Karachi additional police inspector office.
A total of 5,543 police and personnel will be present to monitor and ensure the central procession, the statement added.
He continued that, apart from the higher officers and the 4,957 agents and the head agents of the Karachi Police, 586 NGOs will also comply with the security of the central procession. Expert police snipers will also be deployed together with the main procession.
“Official and traffic police personnel have been deployed to maintain traffic flow on the main procession and crosses routes, including alternative traffic routes organized for the eighth Muharram procession, to maintain fluid traffic and keep the public safe from any inconvenience,” said the statement.
“The Karachi police are providing complete security to the mourners who participate in the eighth Muharram processions.”
The statement urged the public to monitor their environment and immediately inform the police about Madadgar 15 of any suspicious or unusual situation.
Separately, the Karachi police said that the additional inspector of the Police (AIG) Javed Alam Ode visited the JAMA fabric market near the IQBAL center to review the security arrangements for the main procession.
He met with the organizers of the procession and discussed matters related to security, while directeding the officers and personnel present at the scene to guarantee “infallible” security during the procession.
The statement added that surveillance was being carried out on procession routes through the CCTV cameras and the command and control center.
In another statement, Karachi police said that the South Senior Police Superintendent (SSP) Mahzoor Ali also reviewed the procession security agreements near the southern district of the city.
The deputy inspector of the Police (DIG) of the South, Syed Asad Raza, was also present, together with other police officers.
The main procession began from Numaish Chowrangi and entered the limits of the South District from Taj’s medical complex through the designated routes to finally end in the Imam Bargah in Hussainia Irani.
The SSP Ali met officers and staff deployed on the procession route, instructing them to remain completely alert during the service. He directed the security personnel to monitor people, vehicles and suspicious objects around the procession to avoid any unpleasant incident.
He also met with the organizers of the procession and carried out a joint inspection of the route, assuring them that they provide full security.
A day before, Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said a total of 49,662 police personnel in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad of Eighth Muharram to Ashura to avoid any incident without problems.
He added that 14,546 Police personnel for Majalis would be deployed, while 35,116 to protect Muharram’s processions. He also said that more than 14,000 additional personnel had been assigned to guarantee the safety of all events.
Also on Thursday, the Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) issued a traffic plan for 8-10 Muharram, describing procession routes and alternative traffic flows.
According to the KTP Plan, Muharram’s processions in the three days will depart from Nishtar Park and culminate in the Imam Bargah in Hussainiya Iraniyan after following its traditional fixed routes.
Due to the security reasons, Ma Jinnah Road will remain closed from Guru to send to the tower. In addition, the vehicles they made know the, Niaz or Tabarruk received instructions to enter the procession route in the Tower/Memon Mosque.
Lahore arrangements
Meanwhile, Punjab Rescue 1122 Farooq Ahmad spokesman said in a statement that the rescue service secretary reviewed the final agreements for Ashura and Muharram 9 about the instructions of the main minister and that more than 12,000 people would deploy over the weekend.
Rescue Secretary 1122, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, said the arrangements included 815 ambulances, 2,166 motorcycles, 316 fire emergency vehicles and rescue that will be deployed.
He said that more than 1,350 employees would be deployed in LAHORE, including 55 emergency ambulances, 300 rescue motorcycles, 44 firefighters and rescue and specialized emergency vehicles.
Naseer said that additional rescue posts would be established in more than 1,000 important places in Ashura and Muharram 9 in Punjab and that the provincial monitoring cell would supervise all rescue operations. In the case of any important emergency or challenging situation, immediate aid teams will also respond to nearby districts, he said.
He added that the district officers would also monitor all operations and maintain updated provincial monitoring cell.
Together with Ashura’s agreements, Naseer said that routine rescue operations would also continue and that district officers would mark alternative routes for the provision of immediate rescue services.
Naseer added that providing immediate rescue services to the general public would be guaranteed at all costs. “In the case of any negligence, laziness or deficiencies, strict disciplinary measures will be taken immediately,” he said.
Naseer ordered citizens to mark 1122 immediately from the mobile application, the felt and PTCL in the case of an urban emergency.
‘We will not allow anti-state elements to disturb peace’
The deputy of the inspector general (operations) of Lahore, Faisal Kamran, declared that Lahore police was completely prepared to respond to any unforeseen situation during Muharram.
According to a police statement, Kamran said that “anti-state elements will not be allowed to interrupt the peace of the city, and the duty to protect citizens will be fulfilled at all costs.”
He made the comments when inspecting the security configuration for the processions that emerged from the Mori door of the city center, as well as in the Imam Bargah Qasr-I-Batool in Iqbal Town, Ali Raza Abad and other sensitive areas, according to the statement.
“He (Kamran) closely examined the entry and exit points of the processions, monitoring the verification process for all incoming participants,” reads the statement. “He issued essential instructions to officers and dolphins squads parked at service points, emphasizing that no individual should be allowed to enter meetings without exhaustive physical detection.”
According to the statement, the DIG instructed officials to remain attentive to suspicious people, unattended bags and unusual activity, also directed that motorcycles and vehicles are parked at safe distances from procession routes.
“Full adhesion must be guaranteed to the routes and designated times of Majalis and Processions,” reads the statement.
Dig Kamran was summoned by saying that strict searches are being made at the entrance and exit points of the city as part of a broader security framework. He appealed to citizens to “cooperate with police staff during security controls to maintain a peaceful environment in Lahore.”
