PESHAWAR: The Peshawar police have set up a command post and control room to monitor Muharram processions in the Kohati area of the interior city.

Staff at the command post would monitor all mourning processions through video cameras.

SSP (operations) Abbas Majeed Marwat on Thursday visited the command post and control room and checked the live feed from the closed-circuit television cameras installed along the routes of processions.

He asked the police officials to install more cameras along the routes and ready all computer systems, recording systems and other arrangements by Sunday evening.

The SSP also visited sensitive areas of the city and met representatives of traders to discuss with them security arrangements for Muharram.

Security-related meetings held in districts

Also, the city administration announced imposition of Section 144 on various activities during Muharram. A statement issued by the Peshawar deputy commissioner said that entry of Afghan refugees would be banned for first 10 days of the month and pillion riding for three days.

There will also be ban on renting motorcycles and cars for 10 days and tinted glass for 30 days, while arms factories and shops in Peshawar would remain closed for three days. In Kohat, over 4,000 policemen will be engaged for Muharram duty, while army troops would be deployed along with police in Hangu.

Under the security plan, it has been decided to keep Afghan nationals confined to their camps during Muharram while intelligence personnel would keep a vigilant eye on the activities of the non-locals, a police statement said.

Stringent security measures have been taken keeping in view the declaration of both the districts as the most sensitive.

Deputy commissioner, Kohat, Zahir Shah Mohmand has asked the security agencies to ensure complete security to mourning processions passing through the bazaar while taking care of populated areas.

He chaired separate meetings of elders at his office on Thursday which were participated by representatives of religious sects, business community and local political leaders besides district nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad.

In Abbottabad, commissioner Hazara division Mohammad Akbar Khan chaired a high-level meeting and chalked out a strategy for maintaining law and order during Muharram.

The meeting was attended by Brig Wajahat, DIG Hazara region Saeed Khan Wazir, DCs of Abbottabad, Mansehra and Haripur and religious scholars from different schools of thought and traders’ representatives.

The commissioner appreciated the role and cooperation of ulema and traders in maintenance of peace. He said that police would be deployed alongside army personnel to monitor the situation.

In Lakki Marwat, the local police will provide foolproof security to the mourning processions during Muharram.

The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held at Police Lines here on Thursday. DPO Khalid Hamdani presided over the meeting which was attended by other senior police officers and station house officers of different police stations.

An official privy to the meeting said that under the security plan the roads and thoroughfares leading to the routes of processions would be plugged while cops would be deployed on rooftops to keep an eye on surroundings of the procession routes. He also said that the district administration would be approached to ban wall chalking, pillion riding, display of weapons, distribution of objectionable material and the use of loudspeaker during Muharram.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2016