RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Over 6,000 personnel of the police and other law enforcement agencies will be deployed for the security of Eid Miladun Nabi processions in the twin cities on Wednesday.

In Rawalpindi, over 4,000 police and elite force commandos will be on security duty. As a part of the security arrangements, a ban has been imposed on the entry of heavy vehicles into the procession route.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Abbas Ahsan in a press release said light vehicles intending to join the procession would be subjected to search before entering the route.

Route will be searched by bomb disposal experts before procession is given security clearance, CPO Rawalpindi says

He said half of the 4,000 police officials would be deployed along the route of the procession while the remaining would perform security duty in different parts of the city.

The procession will start from Jamia Masjid and after passing through Banni Chowk, Kohati Bazaar, Murree Road and Liaquat Bagh will end at the starting point.

In addition to the regular police, elite force commandos, Special Branch officials and policewomen would be on the security duty.

The CPO said the route of the procession would be searched by the bomb disposal experts before the procession is given security clearance.

No one will be allowed to stand on the rooftops of buildings along the route or on the roadsides.

Extra police contingents will be kept on a standby in the Police Lines headquarters to cope with any untoward situation, the CPO added.

Meanwhile, the City Traffic Police have chalked out an alternative traffic plan with 571 personnel to be deployed on different routes.

As part of the traffic plan, seven DSPs, 47 inspectors, 490 wardens and 27 assistant wardens will be performing duty along the occasion, the traffic police said.

Parking of vehicles within the distance of 300 metre from the procession will not be allowed.

Traffic coming from Islamabad will be diverted towards Rawal Road while traffic from Saddar to Islamabad will be diverted to Tipu Road, Airport Road and Rawal Road. Likewise, the traffic from Liaquat Bagh to Fawara Chowk will be diverted to Gawalmandi.

In the cantonment areas, traffic from Kalma Chowk to Saddar will be diverted to Harley Street.

Traffic will be diverted towards Murree Road from TM Chowk when the procession reaches near The Mall. Likewise, traffic from Peshawar Road to MH Chowk will be diverted to Qasim Market and Sher Zaman Road.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad police along with paramilitary troops and other law enforcement agencies will ensure security for the procession in the city.

The police would be patrolling selective areas and along the procession route. The procession will be taken out in G-7 and the sector will be cordoned off through the deployment of police and paramilitary troops.

As many as 2,000 policemen, including personnel from the Quick Response Force, Anti-Terrorism Squad, Counter-Terrorism Force and police commandos, will perform security duty. Special teams of Rangers, Crime Investigation Department and Special Branch will assist the police.

The procession will start from Sitara Market and culminate near the shrine of Hazrat Sakhi Mehmud at Aabpara market after passing through different routes.

The route of the procession has been divided into four sectors and security arrangements in each sector will be monitored by an SP, a DSP and inspectors.

Walk-through gates will be installed at all the entry points of the route and participants will also be be checked through metal detectors.

Senior police officials will visit the route of the procession and ensure effective coordination among the security personnel, the police said.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2018