KOHAT/PARACHINAR, Nov 23: The army will take the control of Hangu district on Muharram 9 and 10 due to the highly sensitive security situation and threat of sabotage, according to an official.

The official said the commissioner of Kohat division had formally invited the army to take the control of the district on Friday.

According to him, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had decided to hand over the control of Hangu to the army during Muharram processions a fortnight ago. The chief secretary had issued ordered during the visit of Hangu.

The official said cellphone service would remain suspended in Kohat and Hangu districts on Muharram 9 and 10 for security reasons. He said the decision was made after discussion between intelligence agencies and local administration. The official said mobile phone service would remain suspended from 6am on Muharram 9 to 11pm on Muharram 10. He said the army would work side by side with police and Frontier Constabulary, while the army personnel had been deployed in the city areas only.

In Parachinar, the administration on Friday banned the entry of motorcycles and other vehicles to the city for Ashura over security reasons.

An official said the administration had tightened security around Kurram Agency. He said majalis were held at imambargahs, while processions were taken out in different areas of the agency in the day.

The official said the main Ashura procession would be taken out from main Imambargah of Parachinar.

He said elaborate security arrangements had been made for Ashura processions and majalis. He said entry of motorcycles and vehicles had been banned to Parachinar city had already been restricted to block possible acts of sabotage.