KARACHI, March 13: An Alam and Zuljinah procession was taken out from Nishtar Park on Thursday and after passing through its traditional route, it terminated at Hussainian Iranian Imambargah in Kharadar.
Before the start of the procession, a Majlis-i-Aza was held at Nishtar Park where Ulema highlighted the supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions.
The processionists marched through the M. A. Jinnah Road, Saddar, Regal Chowk, Tibet Centre and Boulton Market before converging at Hussainian Iranian.
The mourners recited Salam, Nauha and Marsiah throughout the route.
Earlier, a number of small processions originating from different parts of the city joined the main procession at Nishtar Park after marching through their respective routes.
A large number of women and children were among the mourners.
Meanwhile, special arrangements were made to ensure peace and harmony as well as smooth flow of traffic during the Thursday’s procession. Strong contingents of rangers, regular police, reserve force, scouts, volunteers, and different security agencies were deployed throughout the procession route.
Aerial surveillance was also conducted by helicopter while the city administration and law enforcing agencies monitored the whole process through surveillance cameras installed along the procession route.—APP/PPI
TROUBLE: Several houses were damaged in a arson attack by miscreants at Mohajir Chowk in Hanifabad locality of Orangi Town on Thursday, adds our staff reporter.
According to eyewitnesses, unidentified miscreants pelted stones at a Muharram procession passing through the locality. This provoked some of the processionists who set fire to a nearby office belonging to a religious party.
Situation grew tense when more people indulged in violence and police resorted to fire teargas shells to disperse the crowd. However, miscreants set fire to two buildings housing a beauty parlour and a school, in the same locality. Witnesses said that another house and a motorcycle were damaged during the violence.
The processionists, later, staged a sit-in near Hussaini Imambargah in sector 5.
The provincial police chief, Syed Kamal Shah, who was present in Orangi Town, told Dawn that the trouble started when a religious activist was manhandled by some persons after which stones were pelted at the procession while it was passing through Mohajir Chowk.
He said that no fire arm was used and no casualty was reported. He, however, added that some people sustained minor injuries in stone pelting.
A spokesman for the firebrigade told Dawn that an office belonging to a religious party, one house, a private school and a cabin were set afire during the violence.
Till our going to press, the procession had not ended its sit-in.
The city government officials, including the City Nazim and Home Secretary, were present at the venue of the sit-in.
