LAHORE, March 12: Law enforcers have been directed to impose ‘curfew’ to maintain peace on Muharram 9 and 10.

Officials said on Wednesday directions had been issued by the senior Punjab police hierarchy to police heads in all cities of the Punjab to take extraordinary measures to prevent any untoward incident on the two days.

On the other hand, troops had started patrolling the city roads and elsewhere in the province twice a day.

Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had reportedly said that the troops would not be deputed formally, but they would be available in case of emergency.

However, the officials said the troops were standby and they had set up camps in various parts of the Punjab.

Reports reaching here from the other parts of the province on Wednesday suggested the law enforcers had been maintaining a curfew-like situation for four days.

“Nobody except for those attending majalis and processions are allowed to stay outside home after 7pm,” Nasir Iqbal, a resident of a village near Sargodha, who travelled to Lahore on Tuesday night, said.

He said the police were found requesting the people to shut down their businesses and forcing those staying out late to go home. “It’s almost curfew there.”

Furthermore, the police had intensified their patrol and increased the number of policemen deployed along the routes of different processions and majalis. Plainclothesmen were keeping an eye on those attending processions.

The senior police command had also been asked to supervize security arrangements and to be available on call round-the-clock. Supervisory officers had also been warned that they would be held responsible in case of any law and order situation.

Besides, foreigners and their installations had been provided with extra security cover.

The officials of the civil defence and bomb disposal squads had been assigned to comb routes of procession with metal detectors. Sniffer dogs too had been given to officials to help them detect explosives.

Lahore city police chief Khwaja Khalid Farooq said the security arrangements were satisfactory.

“Don’t you worry at all,” he replied when asked this Muharram seemed to be more sensitive.

“We are ready to meet any eventuality and precautions taken by the police and other forces will work as a deterrence,” he said.