City prepared to observe Ashura

As many as 350 mourning processions will be taken out in Hyderabad on the Yaum-e-Ashura on Sunday to mourn the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his martyrs in Karbala. Around 4,600 are deployed in the city for security of the processions and majalis.

The central procession, organised by Anjuman-e-Imamia Sindh, will emanate from Qadam Gah Moula Ali (RA) in the morning. It will culminate at Karbala Dadan Shah after walking less than two kilometres through Foujdari and Al-Rahim roads. More than four dozen roads and streets intersecting the central procession's route will be sealed with tents and barbed wires.

Reportedly, the city police have spent Rs one million to procure barbed wires. The procession will see a deployment of around 1,400 policemen besides personnel of Rangers. A monitoring room has been set up at SDPO City police station's office which is located on Foujdari road, aka the station road.

The district police have designated 30 sensitive spots along the route of the central procession which will be manned by additional cops. Seven walk through gates will be placed at the entrance of the procession near Qadam Gah Moula Ali (RA). The CCTV cameras have been installed along the entire route. A team of bomb disposal squad will also move ahead of the procession, clearing its route.

Some 1,500 policemen will be deployed for security of other processions in the district while 900 others will man important locations in the city as well as on the district's entry and exit points.

Moreover, for the sham-e-ghariban majalis, around 600 policemen will be deployed. In view of the sectarian strife experienced in the previous years, the police have set up pickets in six different localities to prevent any recurrence. The police have also set up a cell to monitor posts fanning flames of sectarianism on social media.