Muharram security deployment decided

More than 12,000 jawans to guard sensitive locations in Lahore.

LAHORE:

More than 12,000 police jawans will provide security cover to 4,000 gatherings, 640 processions, 297 imambargahs and 787 mosques in Muharram, said the capital city police officer (CCPO) on Saturday.

CCPO Ahmed Raza Tahir said that 134 mobile squads, 85 motorbikes, 75 police cars and 11 Elite Force cars would also be deployed to protect citizens during the holy month. He said there would be three layers of checking at processions:

He directed the traffic police and regular police to jointly check cars, motorcycles and rickshaws.

The city’s police chief said that processions, gatherings and places of worship would be provided security on the ground as well as from rooftops. All side lanes and roads around procession routes would be blocked with barbed wire. Members of the bomb disposal squad and neighbourhood peace committees would be present at processions. He said that vehicles should be made to park at a distance of 200 metres from gatherings and processions.

Punjab plans

As many as 131,895 police personnel will be on security duty in the province during Muharram, Inspector General of Punjab Police Javed Iqbal heard in a briefing at Police Headquarters. These include 89,588 policemen, some 6,200 Elite Force constables, 22,166 PQR and 13,941 special police forces.

The regional breakdown of the deployments is as follows: 14,372 personnel in Lahore, 8,121 in Sheikhupura, 16,879 in Gujranwala, 18,396 in Rawalpindi, 6,795 in Sargodha, 21,813 in Faisalabad, 10,940 in Multan, 4,538 in Sahiwal, 10,012 in DG Khan and 13,829 in Bahawalpur.

A total of 166 walkthrough gates, 8,797 metal detectors and 866 CCTV cameras will be installed at sensitive places.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2011.