Rawalpindi-Rawalpindi District Police, on the directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi DIG Muhammad Ahsan Younis have finalised elaborate security arrangements for 1,925 Majalis and 447 Muharram processions to be organised in Rawalpindi district during Muharram.
According to a police spokesman, Rawalpindi district police had finalised all the arrangements ahead of the holy month while 6,000 security personnel are being deployed to ensure law and order. All available resources would be utilised to ensure foolproof security.
He informed that total 1,766 majalis would be organised in the district during 1st to 10th of Muharram ul Haram while 316 Muharram processions including 270 traditional and 46 licensed would be taken out.
He said that total 447 processions would be taken out in Muharram while 1,925 Majalis including 385 female Majalis would be organised in the district.
Law and order would be maintained at any cost and a peaceful atmosphere would be provided to the public during holy month of Muharram, he added.
Under the security plan, security personnel of Special Branch Police, Elite Force, Frontier Constabulary, Lady Police would be deployed to ensure security during Muharram, he added.
Leaves of all police personnel had been cancelled while a special 24/7 control room had also been set up in his office, the spokesman said.
Police would make concerted efforts with the help of other departments concerned aimed at maintaining law and order and to avert any untoward incident in the district.
He said strict monitoring of the processions would be conducted as Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras would also be installed at routes of main Zuljinnah processions and places where majalis would be held.
Mourners would only be allowed to join the processions from different entry points and Quick Response Force would also be deployed for the protection of the mourners, he told.
He said special contingents of commandos and police officials would also be deployed on 134 sensitive points.
Walk-through gates would be installed for main mourning procession, he said adding that the police officials would use metal detectors along with the private guards to be deputed at entrance gates of Imambargahs and mourning processions places.
Strict checking of vehicles would also be made at entry and exist points of the city, he added.
Parking of vehicles and motorcycles would be banned along routes of the mourning processions while all traffic proceeding towards these routes would be diverted.
He said peace committees comprising ulema (religious scholars) of various sects had been formed while the district administration had banned the entry of 37 ulema belonging to different sects in the district and issued gagging orders for 13 other scholars with a view to maintain peace and inter-faith harmony during the holy month.
Total 317 processions including 40 of the category A, 64 of category B and 212 of C category would be organised. Similarly, 208 Majalis of A category, 347 of B category and 1206 of C category would be held.
In total, 1,761 majalis of the district are to be organised from 1st to 10th Muharram, he informed.