ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Wednesday lauded security agencies as Muharram processions concluded peacefully across the country.

The interior minister in a statement said that security agencies, including the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and police in all provinces had provided a high standard of security to the processions.

The interior ministry, along with the National Cou­nter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), was overseeing the countrywide security measures.

Processions and majalis were held across the country to mark Ashura amid strict security measures.

In the run-up to Muharram, pillion-riding bans were made effective all across Sindh, including Karachi, and Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawal­pindi and Faisalabad, and cellphone services were suspended in some cities.

In Karachi, civil armed forces, backed by the Pakistan Army, were deployed to ensure a peaceful and incident-free Ashura. The metropolis was put on high alert.

Roads were sealed off with containers while snipers were positioned on roofs of high buildings in the city. Heli-cams were also being used to monitor the processions from the air.

Punjab security heightened

In Punjab, 10 districts — including Lahore, Rawal­pindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujran­wala, Jhang, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur — were declared “most sensitive”.

About 200,000 civil armed forces personnel, mainly police, had been deployed for the security of Ashura processions and majalis in all districts of Punjab, where 32 companies of the Pakistan Army were also deployed.

In Rawalpindi, more than 6,300 policemen, 10 companies each from military and Rangers had been deployed to provide security to 113 Majalis and 65 Ashura processions that were being taken out from different imambargahs in the city on Muharram 10.

Furthermore, walk-though gates and hundreds of CCTV cameras were installed at different points to monitor the processions, while link roads were sealed to ensure the safety of mourners.

Security in GB, AJK beefed up

Special security arrangements had been made for Ashura processions and majalis being held in all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Some 144 mourning processions were taken out across AJK on Muharram 10.

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