Sindh mourns Karbala martyrs on 10th Muharram

Thousands participate in Ashura processions, majalis as more than 53k police personnel maintain tight security

HYDERABAD:

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Sindh on Friday to mourn the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions in Karbala, participating in mourning processions and majalis on Yaum-e-Ashur.

Thousands of processions were organised across the province, with the largest held in Rohri, Sukkur district, attracting mourners from across Sindh as well as Punjab and Balochistan.

In Hyderabad, 350 processions were taken out under the protection of 4,600 police personnel. The central procession, organised by Anjuman-e-Imamia Sindh, began from Qadam Gah Moula Ali (RA) in the morning and concluded at Karbala Dadan Shah in the evening. Around 1,400 police personnel, assisted by Rangers, were deployed for the procession, which was monitored through hundreds of CCTV cameras from a control room established at the City police station.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar visited the central procession in Hyderabad to review the security arrangements. Another 1,500 policemen were deployed with the remaining processions, while 700 personnel provided security to tazia processions and 600 were assigned to Imambargahs for Sham-e-Ghareeban.

A spokesman for Liaquat University Hospital said 65 mourners injured during self-flagellation with chains fitted with blades underwent surgeries at the hospital, while another 302 received first aid.

In Rohri, Sukkur, a sea of mourners gathered at Maidan-e-Karbala to participate in the centuries-old Nau Dhaal (Nine Shields) procession. More than 2,000 police personnel, along with Rangers and Scouts, were deployed to ensure security.

In Larkana district, 171 processions and 181 majalis were held under the protection of 3,300 policemen.

In Mirpurkhas, major and minor processions converged at the Post Office intersection. In Benazirabad, a tense situation briefly developed near Imambargah Hussainia Sajjadia, but police and Rangers brought the situation under control before it could escalate. The home minister also visited the district during the day.