KARACHI – Ban on cellular phone networks made the counter terrorism strategy successful here during the processions of Hazrat Imam Hussain’s (RA) chehlum on Thursday.According to details, police and rangers have completely sealed the routes of procession in district south and link roads. It also banned traffic movement on MA Jinnah Road and the adjoining localities.The procession began and ended amid strict security measures where rooftop deployment of snipers and sniffer dogs made a thorough search of the procession route.A statement issued by Central Police Office revealed that advance sweeping of chehlum processions have made in all three zones including East, West and South. Police claimed to have monitored the main and other processions through close circuit cameras and all cameras were interlinked with the command and control centre situated at CPO. Police also claimed to have monitored the entire Nishtar Park through close circuit cameras where main gathering of chehlum took place.The chehlum procession was taken out from Nishtar Park when scores of small processions gathered at the park and attended the Majlis before the main procession. Nishtar Park Majlis held at Nishtar Park, after which the procession scheduled to take out and march towards the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah located in Kharadar.The traffic police have already announced alternative traffic plan. Police have also made the foolproof security plan of the city where police have assigned 3,500 policemen backed by Rangers personnel, besides snipers, mobile teams of bomb disposal squad and fire brigade teams.Witnesses said that the police sealed the unoccupied flats and shops on the routes of procession and also made thorough search of all the shops and markets close to the routes of the procession. Police, rangers and scouts of different Shia organisations had participated in the procession and each mourner joined the procession after the body search at least three times through scanners and walk-through gates.Police also placed barricades at all link roads on the routes of the procession where buses, trucks and containers were placed to block the roads and also deployed the cops on each way close to the procession route. The procession passed through the routes peacefully and no major and minor incident has taken place as the cellular phones services were suspended from 8am to 10pm. Experts believed that the communication difficulties occurred because of the suspension of GSM devices/cell phones which not even bothered the citizens but also restrained terrorist outfits sought to carry out any possible terrorist attacks which might sabotage the peace of the City.     Sources privy to the matter disclosed that covert forces behind the terrorist outfits were not willing to sabotage the peaceful transition in the commercial hub of the country by large number of casualties and high intensity blasts. Sources believed that such kind of terrorists groups were assigned to continue sectarian killing to instigate sectarianism and local sectarian groups in the City. They pointed out that there were some covert forces, which are yet to be arrested are engaged in exploiting the sectarianism in the City.