Security officials guard a procession held during Muharram. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
SUKKUR/ ISLAMABAD/ HYDERABAD/ LAHORE: Gates have been put up at entrances to the streets where Ashura processions are taking place in Islamabad, Lahore, Sukkur, Hyderabad and other cities. The police are checking people before they are allowed to join the processions, Express News reported.
“No one will take part in the [Ashura] processions without being checked first,” said Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. He had stated earlier that the government will make sure security at processions is “fool-proof”.
The army has also been put on standby. Cellular services have been suspended in Karachi, Faisalabad and partly in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
In the federal capital, people are also being asked to swipe their Nadra cards before entering processions.
To bolster security in Sindh, the army have been deployed in Karachi on Muharram 9 and 10 at the Sindh government’s request and they will be deployed in other parts of Sindh if need be, a Rangers spokesperson had earlier announced.
Meanwhile in Sukkur, Rangers are watching processions from roof tops and security cameras have also been installed as safety measures.
However, at an entrance to processions in Sukkur, children are pictured checking people as they pass through, while police are seen sitting and chatting nearby.
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In Lahore, Sanaullah said that four helicopters will provide eyes in the sky to security officials. He had said earlier that the chief minister ordered officials to set up a command and control room to monitor the security situation in the city.
Some 4,000 policemen will be on duty during the Ashura procession, he had added.
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In iran sunnis are not even allowed to have their own mosques
Hope this time the terrorists won't be able to implement on their nefarious agenda. Keep up the good work, law enforcement agencies.