January 20, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 10, 1429

HYDERABAD, Jan 19: District administrations across the province have put extra troops on ground to provide blanket security to Ashura processions in the wake of recent bomb blast in an imambargah in Peshawar.

Over 9,400 police and 2,000 personnel of paramilitary Rangers would provide security to processions in three out of eight districts of Hyderabad police range.

“A few companies of army are also being deployed in Nawabshah, Thatta and Dadu of Hyderabad range in addition to police and Rangers,” said DIG of Hyderabad police range, Commander (Retd) Shaukat Shah.

A police spokesman said that 40 close circuit cameras had been installed along the routes of the processions while Sindh Reserve Police (SRP) and trainees from Police Training College (PTC) Jam Nawaz Ali would work as auxiliary force.

According to DPO Imran Shaukat, a total of 2,600 policemen would be deployed on Sunday including officials of Excise police and SRP.

Police will man all main rooftops along the route of central processions under a three-tier plan. Police will escort big or small mourning processions from imambargahs to Qadam Gah Maula Ali.

The main route of processions and its connecting streets will be closed with barbed wires for all kind of vehicular traffic since 6am and the commuters and motorists will have to take detours to enter the city.

Traffic entering the city will be diverted to the National Highway through Combined Military Hospital (CMH) road.

According to Anjuman-i-Hyderi that holds license for Ashura’s central procession, the procession would emerge from Qadam Gah Maula Ali at 8.30 am.

According to DIG Hyderabad the mourning procession is required to pass through Tilak Incline by 3.30 pm on Sunday so that Tazia procession could start its journey from the same place.

Officials of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) would lead the main processions in every district along with police.

Law enforcing agencies in Mirpurkhas have declared at least 14 places most sensitive in the district, 10 of them are in the city where heavy contingents of law enforcers have been deployed.

Mourners have to undergo thorough search before being allowed to enter imambargahs. Majalis Aza will be held at 246 places and 53 mourning processions will be taken out from different places on the Ashura Day.

Personnel of Rangers and police are jointly monitoring the routes of procession through CCTV cameras. Sources said extra troops could be called in if any untoward incident occurred.

Security have been stepped up in Dadu and Jamshoro districts for Ashura processions and heavy contingents of police, rangers and officials of law enforcement agencies in plain clothes have been deployed on the processions’ routes.

Shikarpur district administration has also tightened security in the city and its adjoining towns and deployed police and personnel of Rangers along the routes of mourning processions.