Muharram security: Citizens worry despite official assurances

LAHORE: Shia residents of Lahore have voiced various concerns about security arrangements for Muharram processions.

Shia processions have been repeatedly targeted by extremist Sunni groups, most recently the Yaum-i-Shahadat Ali (RA) procession at Karbala Gamay Shah on September 1, 2010, when two suicide bombers killed some 20 people and injured 200.

Bushra Raza, who was part of that procession, said the “terrifying” ordeal had not dissuaded her from joining a Muharram procession, but she was very concerned about security.

“I will not stop going for the religious processions but I’m seriously worried about the security at imambargahs,” she said. “Last time I went, the lady constable did not check me properly. I told her to take the job seriously and not put people’s lives at risk. But she didn’t care.”

She said that a lot of people were injured at Karbala Gamay Shah in the stampede after the suicide bombings, and asked how police would prevent that from happening again.

Khurram Shah lives in Niaz Baig village, which is the site of the second biggest Shia procession in the city in Muharram. “The major issue here is that there are many entrances and exits and it is difficult to ensure proper security on all routes,” said Shah.

“Other than the main tazia procession there are many smaller ones. The locals carry fruit in small cloth bags. Nobody checks those bags so they can’t know if they’re really fruit or explosives.”

He also voiced concern about the risk of someone throwing a bomb or shooting at the procession from the many rooftops along the route. He said he had no faith in the police. “I trust the Shia security volunteers over police security. They are more dedicated to their work and they know their responsibilities.”

Sayd, a resident of Gulshan-i-Ravi, said many policemen deployed for security didn’t seem physically fit enough for the job. “When I see the pot-bellied officers checking people for security, I wonder how they can run to save anybody,” he said.

A police official told The Express Tribune that most of the metal detectors in police use were out of order. “The metal detectors purchased for the Qurban Lines were checked and almost all were out of order. Even the metal detectors sent to the Ijtema in Raiwind are not in good condition,” he said. “The Telecommunication SSP ordered new detectors and we managed to get a few in working condition.”

Col Younas, a member of the security squad for Muharram set up by the commissioner, insisted that all the instruments in use for security purposes were in working condition. “All the instruments have been checked. We don’t compromise on equipment,” he said.

He said MPAs were helping with security. They were asked to report anyone suspicious in their constituencies to the police, he said.

“This time the security check is going to be very serious,” he said. “There will be a three-layer security blanket. Each person will be screened thrice.”

DCO Ahad Cheema said that the city government was trying to improve coordination between the police, the Lahore Electricity Supply Company, the bomb disposal squad, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and the Health Department.

“We don’t have additional resources but what we can do is ensure better coordination,” he said.

“All the tehsil municipal officers are involved. They will take care of the routes of procession and of imambargahs. We are providing extra generators for streetlights and putting up more security cameras at sensitive places,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune December 5^th, 2010.