All set for Xmas festivities

Churches have been decorated with vibrant colours and lights in twin cities

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:

Christians in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will celebrate Christmas today (Wednesday) with their religious zeal and fervour as the Christian community has completed all preparations for Christmas.

Christian families also participated in special night vigil services in the churches besides completing Christmas shopping on the moon night yesterday.

Shops, commercial centres, and markets of the twin cities remained open until late hours. Foolproof arrangements have been made to control traffic in the commercial centres of Saddar Bazaars for Christmas shopping.

In the spirit of Christmas, special arrangements have been made for children and families to enjoy toys, dodge cars, mini battery cars, fly rides, computerised indoor games, swings, horse and camel rides, and lake boating in all 45 entertainment places of the twin cities. Food and drinks have also been arranged.

All amusement parks will remain open from 9am to 1am on Christmas Day and December 26. The chairlift in Patriata has also been upgraded and opened immediately.

Churches have been decorated with vibrant colours and lights, and Christmas trees have been set up. Special songs will also be performed in churches during the vigil services tonight. The Christian community has also decorated Christmas trees with beautiful lighting in their homes.

Due to the significant increase in the prices of clothing, jackets, sweaters, coats, and shoes in large stores, many Christian middle-class and poor families opted to shop for their children at Lunda Bazaar, where prices are up to 50% lower than in the open market.

According to Christian families, the current economic situation, marked by high inflation, has resulted in a notable decrease in Christmas shopping this year. The government has given three holidays to Christian employees in celebration of Christmas.

The district administration and police have developed a comprehensive security plan to ensure the safety of churches, with police personnel deployed at all churches.

Additionally, commandos have been stationed on the roofs of main churches located on Mall Road, Saddar, and Murree Road.

Security beefed up

The Islamabad police have also devised a comprehensive security plan for Christmas, deploying over 1,500 officers and personnel across the district. A final security plan has been issued for the federal capital.

Under the plan, instructions have been issued to all relevant SDPOs and SHOs to station plainclothes and uniformed armed officers, including female police personnel, outside places of worship.

Police teams will closely monitor suspicious individuals, and additional personnel will be deployed at public places. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) will conduct thorough searches in various areas. Police stations have been instructed to prepare duty rosters while patrolling teams have been designated for Islamabad's urban and rural sectors.