MULTAN, Sept 20: The district police have chalked out a security plan for the three-day annual religious congregation beginning on Friday at “Sahara-i-Madina” in Sher Shah. Multan Range police DIG Malik Muhammad Iqbal told Dawn that more than 4,000 police personnel would be engaged to ensure peace and avert any untoward incident at the moot.

He said 1,000 of the police personnel deputed for the moot would be in civvies while the Elite Force and horse-mounted jawans would guard the

congregation place round the clock.

“The people will have to undergo screening through metal detector while entering the congregation place,” he said, adding “closed-circuit televisions had also been installed.”

The DIG said a temporary police line equipped with a mobile workshop and a kitchen had also been set up alongside the congregation place to facilitate the officials deputed there.

The police would escort the caravans of the faithful up to the Sahara-i-Madina as they would enter Multan district.

He said the congregation for women would be held at Qasim Bagh Fort where only female police personnel would perform the duty insides while the security around the venue would be the responsibility of the male personnel.

The security of shrines in Multan would also be enhanced as thousands of people came to pay homage to the saints during congregation being organized since 1995 by the Dawat-i-Islami.