RAWALPINDI: Army, police hold flag march for Muharram
By Mohammad Asghar and Mobarik Virk
RAWALPINDI, Feb 27: Army troops have been called in to help the Islamabad Capital Territory police maintain peace during Muharram, while troops and police staged a show of force in the twin cities on Friday.
"The troops have been called in and they would be deployed wherever required," a senior official of the ICT police told Dawn. In Rawalpindi, police units and elite force assisted by the troops carried out a flag march on different roads to inculcate a sense of security among the people and warn the miscreants against making any mischief.
As part of the security plan, plain clothes security personnel have been deployed at sensitive places, while joint patrolling by the army and police has also been started.
One police reserve comprising 25 personnel would be deployed at one Imambargah, while six traffic police officials would control the traffic. Emergency wards in the government hospitals will remain on high alert and the mobile units and ambulances have also been prepared to provide first-aid on the spot.
Special teams of army accompanied by the bomb disposal squad officials of the Islamabad police searched the rooftops of the plazas in Blue Area between G-6/F-6 area right opposite the Markazi Imambargah with the help of sniffer dogs to ensure maximum security.
The squad searched the plazas and sensitive areas in the vicinity to ensure safety and prevent any terrorist activity during the Muharram procession. The Capital police sources also said additional paramilitary troops had also been deployed in the Diplomatic Enclave.
Meanwhile, a Majlis-i-Aza was held in Sector I-10 and a procession was also brought out. The procession passed through the designated route amid tight security and returned to the Imambargah without any untoward incident.
