Heavy police force deployment for security during Muharram

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Home Minister, Sohail Anwar Khan Siyal, has issued directives to police to ensure deployment of heavy police force under Muharram Contingency Plan in order to ensure extraordinary security measures in the Province. 

He issued these directives while reviewing Muharram Contingency Plan 2017. 

"Police emergency camps must be established along the route of main mourning processions so as to respond to rapidly in any unwanted situation", the Home Minister stressed. 

Sohail Siyal urged upon police officers to ensure, at police stations level, the proper identification of outsiders who are being accommodated at hotels, guests house and other temporary residents specially near and around bus terminals, railway stations, suburban and slums areas. 

"Besides audio visual recordings of main majalis and processions, steps be ensured for strict vigilance at high rise buildings along procession routes and parking areas; additionally extensive police patrolling in targeted/ identified sensitive areas, random snap checking and advance intelligence collection and its timely sharing", he further stressed.

He directed that all possible steps should also be taken for continuous watch on places of majalis and processions besides technical sweeping, scanning and clearance from bomb disposal squads. 

The Home Minister also instructed to adopt every step for removal of encroachments, abandoned or out of order vehicles near and around Majalis and route of processions besides deploying snipers at selected high rise buildings. 

According to the Muharram contingency plan, Police is ensuring strict security cover at over 1520 Imambarghas, about 12700 Majalis, 4150 mourning processions and 1400 Tazia processions in the Province. 

The security plan disclosed that specific instructions have been passed on to ensure removal of posters, banners and confiscation of hate material, surveillance and monitoring of activists of proscribed organizations borne on IVth schedule of ATA -1997, electronic and visual surveillance, use of sniffer dogs for explosives detection and sweeping of routes and venues by BDU especially under construction buildings, DB boxes of electricity and telephones, sewerage lines and manholes. 

The Home Minister directed to ensure timely coordination meetings with the religious leaders and Ulemas of different sects at range/zone, district and PS level for implementation of code of conduct for maintaining peace and harmony during Muharram.