RAWALPINDI:As many as 8,000 police personnel would be deployed for security purposes of 1,925 Majalis and 447 Muharram processions including the five main ones.
Addressing a presser on Monday, City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muhammad Ahsan Younas said all available resources would be utilized to ensure foolproof security arrangements to the Majalis and Muharram processions in the Rawalpindi district during Muharram ul Harram.
He informed that total 1,766 Majalis would be held in the district from 1st to 10th of Muharram while 316 processions including 270 traditional and 46 licensed would be taken out.
He said total 447 processions would be taken out in Muharram while 1,925 Majalis including 385 female Majalis would be held in the district.
He said the law and order would be maintained at all costs to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during the holy month.
Under the security plan, security personnel of Special Branch, Elite Force, Frontier Constabulary and Lady Police would be deployed, he added.
He said leaves of all police personnel had been canceled while a special 24/7 Control Room had also been set up in his office.
He said police in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies would make concerted efforts aimed at maintaining law and order and to avert any untoward incident in the district.
He said strict monitoring of the processions would be conducted as Close Circuit Television cameras would also be installed at routes of main Zuljinnah processions and the places where Majalis would be held. The mourners would only be allowed to join the processions from appointed entry points.
The CPO said Quick Response Force would also be deployed for the security of mourners besides special contingents of commandos and police officials would also be deployed on 134 sensitive points.
Walk-through gates would be installed at main mourning processions, he said adding the police officials would use metal detectors along with the volunteers to be deployed at entrance gates of Imam Bargahs and mourning processions.
He said strict checking of vehicles would also be made at entry and exist points of the city adding parking of vehicles and motorcycles would be banned along the routes of mourning processions and above all, traffic proceeding towards these routes would be diverted.
He said peace committees comprising Ulema (religious scholars) of various sects had been formed adding the district administration had banned the entry of 38 Ulema belonging to different sects in the district with a view to maintain peace and inter-faith harmony during the holy month.
He said total 317 processions including 40 of Category A, 64 of Category B and 212 of Category C would be organised. Similarly, 208 Majalis of Category A, 347 of Category B and 1206 of Category C would be held, he added.
He said no one would be allowed to take law in his hands and orders of the government would be implemented in letter and spirit.
The CPO informed that nearly 157 search operations were conducted in the district during this year and as many as 33,329 persons were checked and interrogated.