Security plan finalised for Youm-e-Ali procession in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI:

An annual mourning procession will be taken out to mark the Martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (RA) on April 01 (Monday).

According to the sources, the procession will follow designated routes across the city, culminating at Imambargah Colonel Maqbool Hussain at Sehri (dawn) time. Preceding the procession, a mourning gathering will be held at Imambargah Mohanpura.

The procession will start from Imambargah Mohanpura, traversing through key areas including Mohanpura, Novelty Cinema Chowk, Kashmiri Bazaar, Fawara Chowk, Raja Bazaar, and College Road before concluding at Imambargah Colonel Maqbool Hussain.

Rawalpindi police have taken stringent security measures. About 2,000 policemen will be deployed in the city. Restrictions include bans on motorcycles and vehicles along the procession route, carrying weapons, standing on roofs and balconies, and engaging in aerial firing.

All shops and plazas along the route will be closed at iftar time, and mosques along the route will refrain from speeches except for call prayers (Azan), closing after prayer times. Entry points along the route will be barricaded with containers and barriers, allowing access only through front walk-through gates. Participants are prohibited from carrying matchboxes and lighters on the routes.

To enhance surveillance, 150 closed-circuit cameras have been installed at key intersections along the route, with monitoring facilitated through a control room at Police Special Branch Kotwali. Additionally, members of the District Inter-faith Harmony Committee and District Peace Committee will oversee procession proceedings.

The procession will start at 9pm. Medical camps will be set up along the procession route, with mourning arrangements made at designated intersections. Mounted police units will augment security efforts. Commissioner Aamir Khattak, Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema, and the chief police officer will directly supervise procession operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2024.