KARACHI, Feb 7: An exhaustive exercise has been carried out by the police to verify the ownership and identities of people living on rent in buildings located along the route of the procession of ninth and tenth Muharram as part of security arrangements.

All vacant and abandoned buildings and properties along the route of the procession have been taken over by the police while all shops, other business concerns, residential buildings and route of the mourning procession have been checked out by the police, City Police Chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui told Dawn.

He said the police had obtained certificates from residents of multi-storey buildings along the procession route that they were the real owners and no stranger or outsider will be present at their residence on the ninth and tenth of Muharram.

This extensive verification exercise now a part of the standard operations procedure (SOP) was initiated following the attack on an Ashura procession in Quetta on March 3, 2004. At least 47 people died and 150 were wounded in the attack.

Before the Quetta incident, only shopkeepers and markets on the route of the procession used to be cautioned by the police.

The process of verifying the credentials of occupants and ownerships of shops and other businesses had kicked off even before the start of Muharram.

When markets close on the eighth of Muharram, shopkeepers are cautioned that unrelated people should not be present in any of the shops or rooftops of the markets for the two respective days.

The process of verifying the properties and their occupants is carried out at two levels. Firstly, the respective police station carries out the job, which is rechecked by a team of 80 police officials of sub-inspector and inspector levels.

As many as 15,000 police personal have been engaged for security duties for the Muharram processions on the ninth and tenth across the city while 5,000 police personal have been assigned to escort and provide security duties along the main mourning processions, which will be taken out from Nishtar Park and terminate at Imambargah Hussainian Iranian in Kharadar.

The City Police Chief, Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui, told Dawn that 500 elite force personnel

and 3,000 reserve police had been called out for security duties.

He pointed that like previous years, air surveillance would be carried out by the police using a helicopter while cameras had been installed at various locations along the route of the procession and in and around the Nishtar Park.

“We have taken over all the abandoned buildings which are located along the route of the procession, whereas the police have carried out an extensive exercise of verifying the real owners of buildings and their occupants falling on the route of the procession,” Mr Siddiqui said.

He said 358 lanes along the route of the procession would be sealed by the police to block entry of any unconcerned vehicle. Like previous years, people would not be allowed to enter the procession from the any middle point. The mourners would be only allowed at some selected points after physical search, the CCPO added.

minister’s visit: The Sindh Home Minister, Rauf Siddiqui, has said special security arrangements had been made at the places of majalis and routes of processions on the 9th and 10th of Muharram besides taking steps for maintaining traffic flow, adds APP.

He was talking to ulema during his visit to various areas the other day to review security arrangements at imambargahs. He was accompanied by senior police and Rangers officials.

His visit was to areas including Gulberg, Hyderi, MA Jinnah Road, Tariq Road, Khalid Bin Walid Road, Imambargah Ancholi, Masjid Khairul Amal, Babul Ilm and Imambargah Ali Raza.

The minister said some 13,000 police personnel had been deployed on security duties on the 9th and 10th of Muharram while 250 street entrances would be sealed with 150 containers.

He pointed out that the role of ulema was very important, particularly on the 9th and 10th of Muharram and they had a great responsibility.

He hoped that ulema from all schools of thought would give a demonstration of complete unity, cohesion and understanding on the occasion and exercise great restraint and steadfastness.

Siddiqui appealed to people that they should immediately report to various control rooms in case they spotted anything suspicious or extraordinary. The control rooms will function round the clock till the 11th of Muharram.

He also had an exchange of views with ulema on security arrangements, who expressed satisfaction over the same.

Nazim: The Nazim Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kamal, has called for improved cleanliness around imambargahs with rectification of the lighting and sewerage systems along the routes of Ashura processions.

The nazim visited various city imambargahs and majalis the other day along with MPA Hyder Abbas Rizvi, DCO Fazalur Rehman and other officials. He also met ulema.

He went to the imambargah in Rizvia Society, visited camps set up by the city government at the Old Exhibition roundabout and MA Jinnah Road and directed that all arrangements be made for first aid and for providing due facilities to participants of processions.