KARACHI: This is with reference to your report of November 28 titled “Occupy Numaish Chowrangi: Death of two scouts sparks 4-hour riot”.
The incident took place on the first day of Muharram, in which unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a Muharram procession at Numaish Chowrangi killing two young scouts and injuring three others.
This is a bad omen. Muharram is now here and imambargahs, places of majalis and certain roads on which Ashura processions will proceed all over the country will witness large gatherings. We have examples of Ashura processions being targeted by terrorists in the past.
The government should take the following steps immediately to avoid any further tragedy:
1) The management of every imambargah should form a ‘watch’ committee of volunteers to monitor security. A team of young unarmed volunteers should be formed to carry out round-the-clock watch and to observe any abnormal or suspicious activity inside and around the imambargah and other large venues. 2) Imambargahs should be combed before and after a majlis is to be held to ensure that no suspicious objects are lying or concealed anywhere inside or close to the venue. Any suspicious item should warrant an immediate call to the police. 3) All entrances to the imambargah should remain locked except the main one which should be manned either by policemen or by volunteers. 4) All windows and openings of the imambargah should have iron grills, with a wire-mesh covering, so that no one is able to intrude or throw something like a hand grenade through them from the outside. 5) In the larger and more prominent imambargahs, the government can consider installing CCTV surveillance cameras. 6) All personnel of the police and Rangers who are detailed for duties should have their backgrounds checked, especially for their religious views and political affiliations if any. 7) Rooftops and balconies of buildings on both side of procession route should be manned by police/Rangers.
Sqn-ldr (retd) S Ausaf Husain
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2011.
