Christians celebrate Easter today

11,000 cops have been deployed for foolproof security at churches of twin cities

RAWALPINDI:

The Christian community across the country is celebrating the Easter festival with enthusiasm and devotion today. Despite Ramazan, hotels and fast food outlets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be opened today at the request of the Christian community.

Amusement parks in the twin cities will also open at 10am with the facility of swings and limited food stalls. Lake boating at Ayub Park and chairlift at Patriata will also be open for visitors. For the convenience of the Christian community, special arrangements have been made for the delivery of food parcels at doorstep by all major hotels and fast food chains.

In celebration of Easter, all the churches in the twin cities are beautifully decorated with colourful flags and electric lanterns. Special Easter services will begin at 9am. In Rawalpindi city, major Easter celebrations will be held at Raja Bazaar Church, Lal Kurti, Mall Road and Holy Family Churches. Special songs of Jesus and Mary will also be performed.

The local police and the administration have also made foolproof security arrangements for the Easter celebrations as 1,100 cops have been deployed at the churches of both cities. The visitors will be passed through walk-through gates.

According to the Christian belief, on this day, Jesus was raised to heaven. On Saturday night, the Christians celebrated the moon night. They continued their Easter shopping till late at night in all commercial centres and bazaars of the twin cities. The moon night shopping spree disturbed traffic flow in the markets.

Christian leaders Rashid Chauhan, Pastor Asif, Pastor Ilyas and Babu Sajid have thanked the administration for providing foolproof security to the churches in the twin cities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2024.