Precautionary measures: Police on their toes for fear of terror activity in Muharram

Law enforcers are carrying out an audit of occupants in the city’s guest houses.

KARACHI:

Law-enforcement agencies have started compiling data of visitors staying at guest houses and hotels in the city, especially those located in Saddar, Cantt, Banaras and Sohrab Goth. The move comes in the wake of threats of terrorism during the month of Muharram.

Police personnel have been directed by their senior officers to visit guest houses within their jurisdictions and compile data on the visitors. They have also been directed to arrest anyone who is found to be suspicious. This is sure to be an uphill task as there are around 500 guest houses in various parts of Karachi, including Preedy, Saddar, Orangi Town, Pirabad, Old Sabzi Mandi and Sohrab Goth. Monitoring these guest houses alone will take up much of the personnel's time.

The survey, however, aims to avert any possible terror activity in Muharram as there were reports of the presence of suspected terrorists at guest houses in Karachi. These criminals have the intention of carrying out terror activities during Muharram.

Police officials said that the administration does not even check CNICs of their visitors at most of the guest houses, which is advantageous to the terrorists.

With the start of the survey, police officials claim to have arrested two dozen suspects for failure to show identification documents. Many of them were later released after they were found innocent.

"I was detained as I was unable to provide my CNIC," said Nadir Khan, who hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and was staying at a guest house in Saddar. "They [police] released me after my relatives gave them surety, but they bound me to bring my CNIC and submit it to the police station."

Police officials said their mainly focus is those guests who have recently arrived in the city. "Not just the guest houses, we are also compiling details of the people living close to the imambargahs and locations of the majalis that have been declared sensitive," Sohrab Goth DSP Qamar Ahmed told The Express Tribune. "Most of the people staying at these guest houses are labourers," he said.

For their part, the hotel administrations condemned the police raids at their premises, claiming that the police had no right to interfere in the personal lives of citizens. "The police raids are affecting our business," said Khan Muhammad, an employee of a guest house in Old Sabzi Mandi.

He said that the police was visiting the guest houses, despite the fact that details of all guests staying at the guest houses had already been provided to them. He alleged that the sole reason for conducting the survey was to extort money from the administration and the poor visitors.

Sensitive areas

Besides conducting surveys of the guest houses, law enforcers have also started gathering data. Each year, more than 5,000 majalis and over 750 processions are organised in Karachi during the first 10 days of Muharram. There are around 260 imambargahs in the city. Over 500 imambargahs and locations of majalis have been declared sensitive. Some of the most sensitive areas include Ancholi, Rizvia, Orangi Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Soldier Bazaar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and MA Jinnah Road.

The law enforcers have been placed on high alert for the holy month. All leaves have been cancelled. Karachi AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo had earlier revealed that the police department will deploy 13,000 cops in Karachi from the first day of Muharram, increasing the number to 15,000 policemen from Muharram 8 to 10. He further claimed that the processions will be monitored through CCTV cameras.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2014.