Multan-The troops of Pakistan Army and Rangers will support police in maintaining law and order on Youm-e-Ashur in Multan Range as three companies of army and four of Rangers have been called in for protecting 3,240 Muharram congregations (majalis) and 912 mourning processions across the range, disclosed sources.
The police department will deploy over 9,300 personnel besides national volunteers for the security duty as a three-layer security strategy has been devised to protect the Muharram processions from terrorists in Multan, Khanewal, Vehari and Lodhran districts of Multan Region. Sources revealed that 441 majalis of Multan had been ranked A category, 1150 B, Vehari 79 A and 37 B, Khanewal 67 A and 29 B, Lodhran 36 A and 20 B. Similarly, 104 A and 383 B category mourning processions will take place in Multan, 53 A and 27 B Vehari, nine A and 26 B Khanewal, 12 A and 11 B Lodhran
Sources further disclosed that the installation of CCTV cameras had also been completed and 125 cameras were installed in Multan, 194 Vehari, 160 Khanewal and 50 Lodhran. “Besides CCTV cameras, as many as 70 walkthrough gates are installed at the entry points of majalis in Multan, seven Vehari, 15 Khanewal and seven Lodhran. The security personnel are also given 1390 metal detectors across the Multan Range to frisk the participants of majalis,” sources added. The CCTV cameras will be connected to central control room at Regional Police Office to monitor the processions and keep eye on miscreants. Sources said that the RPO Multan Sultan Azam Taimoori, Commissioner Assad Ullah Khan, CPO Muhammad Ahsan Youns also visited sensitive areas in Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala and reviewed security arrangements.
Meanwhile, talking to media the CPO Ahsan Younus said that police force has been assigned security tasks in respective areas, giving foolproof security coverage to all mourning processions and Majalis in the district.
He said Multan has major activity before Ashura is the historical mourning procession of 9th Muharram and special security measures have been taken for the activity, which is scheduled on Tuesday. He said the 9th Muharram procession area of Mumtazabad would be fully cordoned off by security forces while car and bike parking has been established at a distance from the morn procession route.
CPO Ahsan Younus said that he would personally monitor the 9th Muharram activities. He said that all the security personnel deployed on Muharram duty were issued special identity cards so that their identity could be verified. He said that a crackdown had been launched against exhibition of the arms, vehicles with tinted glass, blue lights and green number plates in light of direction of the IGP. He declared that the loudspeaker act would be implemented strictly and legal action would be taken against violators without any discrimination.