LEAs devise security plan for Muharram

The district administration, police, 111 Brigade, and Civil Defence have given final approval to a comprehensive security plan for Muharramul Haram, which begins on Sunday.

The army will be on red alert in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Chakwal from the 1st to the 11th of Muharram, with Rangers deployed to safeguard mourning processions.

Additional security support will come from the Punjab Constabulary, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch, and Reserve Force. Mounted police units will be stationed at the front and rear of the processions, while trained explosive detection dogs will also be utilised to ensure safety.

The Ashura processions in Chakwal and Raja Bazaar, Rawalpindi, have been designated as highly sensitive. A Muharram Security Control Room has been activated at the Municipal Corporation Office as of today, Friday, to coordinate security efforts.

There will be 373 majalis (religious gatherings) in Rawalpindi district from the 1st to the 30th of Muharram, all of which will be secured by police deployments. Mobile phone and internet services will be suspended on Ashura Muharram from 7am to 12pm as an additional security measure.

The bomb disposal squad has mobilised three units among whom one will be stationed round-the-clock in the control room, another in Rawalpindi City, and the third in Cantt. Security checks will precede each majlis and procession, with 3,500 policemen and 350 Civil Defence volunteers assigned to these duties.

Female police officers will be present at women's majalis.

A total of 350 closed-circuit cameras have been installed to monitor the Ashura processions. The carrying of matches, cigarette lighters, weapons, or sticks in the processions is strictly prohibited.

Residents along the procession route are barred from standing on roofs or peering out of windows and balconies. Storing bricks and stones on rooftops will be considered a crime. Additionally, building materials, encroachments, and vehicle or motorcycle parking along the route are banned.

All minor entrances to the procession routes will be blocked using trucks, trolleys, handcarts, and barbed wire. Entry will be controlled through walk-through gates only. On the procession routes, mosque loudspeakers will be limited to the recitation of azan, and mosques will remain open only during prayer times.