Security beefed up for Qalandar’s Urs

Three-day festivities to honour Lal Shahbaz from today

KARACHI:

Security would be beefed up across the province for the the 771st Urs of popular Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, which will be celebrated over the weekend from 18 to 20 of Shaaban as per the lunar calendar,

Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said on Thursday that the three-day festivities draw tens of thousands of devotees from across the country and the police was determined to ensure they remained safe.

In 2017, the shrine was the target of a suicide attack which left at least 90 people dead and hundreds injured.

The security measures include surveillance and bomb sweeps by special units inside the shrine and surrounding areas. The police chief also ordered timely intelligence gathering and sharing to ensure no untoward incident takes place.

Those attending the Urs would walk through a metal detector and they would be individual frisked with the help of volunteers stationed along the narrow pathways leading up to the shrine. Women police would also be performing their duties.

The police department said that vehicles would not be allowed to park alongside the shrine or the main highway leading to it. “Parking lots should be set up at an appropriate distance from the shrine for the vehicles of pilgrims, and these should be strictly monitored and bomb disposal squads should search all the vehicles parked there,” said the police chief’s spokesperson.

The area SSPs have been ordered to ensure the presence of station house officers (SHOs) in their respective areas throughout the celebration.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2023.