KARACHI, March 4: The police have been put on high alert to ensure peace and tranquillity in the city during Muharram.
Rangers had also been deployed along with the police to maintain law and order, a senior police officer told Dawn on Tuesday.
He said a contingency plan had been prepared and it was being implemented from Tuesday evening.
Elaborate arrangement have been made to provide security to processions and individuals in view of the recent target killings.
“6,000 personnel from the regular police force and another 4,000 from the Sindh Reserve Police and Saeedabad Training Centre will be deployed in the city from 7th to 10th Muharram. Temporary police pickets will also be set up. Patrolling will be intensified and there will be aerial patrolling also to keep a watch on mischievous elements. We have been assured that 2,500 personnel from the Rangers will be present at different spots along with policemen. A total of 12,500 law-enforcement personnel will be deployed for the Ashura processions,” the officer said.
Sources said a series of meetings were held between the Sindh governor, home minister, home secretary, IG Police, CCPO, DIG Operations and other officials and Ulema of the two sects after which a contingency plan was prepared.
They said temporarily police pickets would be set up along the routes of Muharram processions. Police patrolling would be intensified in sensitive areas. Police would also be deployed atop buildings along procession routes. The bomb disposal squad had also been put on alert. Surveillance cameras would be installed along the routes of processions. Processions would also be filmed from helicopters.
All the police stations have been ordered to intensify patrolling using armoured personnel carriers besides other vehicles to keep an eye on miscreants.
SHOs and DSPs have been ordered to remain on duty round the clock. Snap checks are also being carried out at specific points in the city.
DIG Operations Tariq Jameel said there were 3,113 mosques and 229 Imambargahs in the city where Muharram rituals would be observed. Of these, 250 mosques and 165 Imambargahs had been declared sensitive.
He said, according to the police’s information, in the first 10 days of Muharram, 2,718 Majalis would be held in Imambargahs and 219 congregations would be held in mosques.
In the first 10 days of Muharram, 976 religious processions would be taken out. 130 processions would be taken out on 7th, 107 on 8th, 305 on 9th and 325 on 10th of Muharram.
The DIG said: “We will provide police guards to Zakirs and Ulema of both the sects.”
