DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Over 9,000 police personnel will be deployed across the Dera Ismail Khan district as part of the security plan prepared for Muharram.

Talking to Dawn on Friday, district police officer Sajjad Ahmad Sahibzada said that Dera Ismail Khan had been divided into five zones and nine sectors for effective security coverage.

“According to the security plan, each zone will be supervised by an officer of SP rank, while each sector will be managed by a DSP. Around 63 checkpoints have been established at entry and exit points of the district, with joint deployment of army and police personnel to ensure maximum vigilance. Armed forces will remain on standby to respond to any potential emergency,” he explained.

“Approximately, 25 police mobile units will patrol areas around Imambargahs, while bomb disposal squads will clear the routes and venues of processions and gatherings,” he added.

The DPO said Dera was among the most sensitive districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, necessitating strict and organised security arrangements during Muharram.

“A command and control centre has been set up at the police lines, where live monitoring via CCTV cameras will be conducted throughout the sacred month,” he added.

“A dedicated team will be stationed at the command centre to monitor Muharram activities through CCTV feeds. Additionally, a special social media monitoring team has been formed to counter any provocative content online,” he said.

The DPO further said that recent operations against terrorists and kidnappers along the DI Khan-Tank and Peshawar roads had seen notable success thanks to collaboration with the Counter-Terrorism Department.

“Meetings with religious scholars, community leaders, and business representatives are ongoing to promote peace and harmony during the month. A system for issuing special movement passes has also been finalised,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025