ISLAMABAD: Muharram processions and gatherings will be monitored digitally through drones while geo-tagging of all imambargahs, majalis venues and procession routes has been completed, according to an interior ministry statement detailing security arrangements for Islamabad.

The statement was issued after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting to review security arrangements for Muharram in the federal capital.

The statement said a special mobile application, ‘Mehfooz Muharram’, had also been launched, using which citizens could report any suspicious activity or individual or inadequate security arrangements. It will also have live location sharing and image sharing features.

It added that a central control room had been established at Safe City as part of security arrangements, and a “four-tier security cordon” would be implemented to ensure the protection of Muharram processions and gatherings.

The statement said Naqvi directed that a four-tier security cordon be maintained for the protection of Muharram gatherings and processions and a comprehensive traffic plan be implemented.

“Naqvi ordered strict checking at the entry and exit points of all processions and religious gatherings,” the statement said, adding that he also instructed all relevant officers to remain in the field.

He directed relevant authorities to maintain “close coordination” with religious scholars to ensure law and order. “The code of conduct must be strictly enforced. A zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against provocative material,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Moreover, he instructed that arrangements for food and drinking water for personnel deployed for security be ensured.

During the meeting, Islamabad’s chief commissioner and the Islamabad inspector general of police gave the interior minister a detailed briefing on the security arrangements, the statement said.

They informed the meeting that the security audit of all religious gatherings and processions had been completed, Aman and Nigehban committees had been activated, and the Islamabad administration was in contact with religious scholars, as well as the organisers of Muharram gatherings and processions, the statement said.

It added that the meeting was also attended by all deputy inspector-generals of police, senior superintendents of police, the deputy commissioner, and all assistant commissioners in Islamabad.

Separately, an official told Dawn that more than 15,000 security personnel had been deployed in the federal capital to ensure peace and security during Muharram processions and gatherings.

“Islamabad police have finalised a comprehensive security strategy, which will be in place from the first of Muharram to the nineteenth of Safar,” he said.

He further stated that under the security plan for the federal capital, Islamabad police, Rangers and other law enforcement personnel would be deployed at sensitive routes and venues. The deployment was planned to ensure “maximum protection for the participants of religious events while maintaining civic order”, he added.

According to the official, more than 170 processions and around 930 majalis were expected to be held across the federal capital during Muharram.

He said Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi was overseeing all security arrangements to ensure the strict implementation of the security plan.

“In addition, 10 vigilance teams have been formed to check the performance and deployment of security personnel on duty,” he said.

Senior officers, including deputy inspectors general, senior superintendents of police and assistant inspectors general had been assigned duties at various locations across the city to supervise arrangements on the ground, he said.

Moreover, he continued, authorities had intensified search and combing operations in different areas of Islamabad as part of preventive security measures.

To strengthen surveillance, more than 3,000 CCTV cameras were being used to monitor processions and gatherings in real time and over 500 traffic police personnel had been deployed to manage traffic flow and minimise disruptions to daily commuting, the official said.

Earlier this week, Naqvi, along with State Minister Tallal Chaudhry, chaired a special meeting of the Paigham-i-Aman Committee to discuss arrangements for Muharram and measures to curb sectarian incitement.

The Committee discussed in detail the steps to promote inter-sect harmony and religious tolerance during Muharram. It was decided that action would be taken against those spreading incitement and sectarianism on social media.