Ashura processions conclude peacefully countrywide amid strict security

Ashura processions across the country concluded peacefully on Friday amid elaborate security arrangements as thousands of mourners participated in Muharram 10 processions.

Yaum-i-Ashura is observed every year with mourning processions and religious gatherings to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain (RA) and his companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680AD.

The central procession in Karachi departed from Nishtar Park at around 9:30am. It concluded at Imambargah Hussainia Iranian after passing through its traditional routes.

In Hyderabad, the central procession emerged from Qadam Gah Maula Ali off Station Road and culminated at Karbala Dadan Shah.

No processions were taken out in Islamabad, but the main procession in Rawalpindi was taken out from Imambargah Ashiq Hussain in Taili Mohallah and culminated at Imambargah Qadeemi.

In Lahore, the central procession emerged from Nisar Haveli and concluded at Karbala Gama Shah later in the evening. All mourning processions and religious gatherings in Multan and other regions of south Punjab concluded peacefully.

Meanwhile, 12 processions were held in Peshawar and all concluded after following their traditional routes through old city areas.

Meanwhile, commuters in various cities have been advised to take alternative routes, in line with traffic plans devised in view of closure of roads while the processions are held. Elaborate security arrangements are also in place to ensure mourners’ security.

Karachi

Karachi police chief Azad Khan said on Thursday that mobile phone and internet services would likely be suspended along the route of the main procession today. He said around 6,500 policemen would be deployed to secure the main procession, while the overall deployment across the city would stand at 20,000 personnel.

Earlier, traffic police shared a plan for alternative routes for commuters. “Due to security reasons, M.A. Jinnah Road will be closed to traffic from Gurumandir to Tower,” the traffic police’s statement said.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah joined a mourning procession on Friday.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, he said that around 60,000 police and Rangers personnel had been deployed for the processions’ security in Sindh, where over 1,600 processions are taken out in Muharram.

Separately, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said while speaking to the media in Hyderabad that mobile phone services were suspended in sensitive areas in the province.

He said 53,000 policemen were deployed in Sindh for Ashura and around 6,000 to 7000 Rangers personnel were also performing security duties.

Besides, he said, army was also on standby.

Rawalpindi

Security arrangements have also been put in place in Rawalpindi, with the deployment of five Army companies, seven Rangers companies and thousands of police personnel.

On the recommendation of intelligence agencies, the Punjab government has suspended the Metro Bus Service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad as officials said the mourning procession would pass along Murree Road from Bhabra Bazaar to Committee Chowk beneath the metro track, giving rise to security concerns.

Two video monitoring control rooms, one at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and another at the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation, will monitor the processions, gatherings and sensitive locations.

Section 144 has also been imposed in the Rawalpindi district, and Rawalpindi police said more than 8,000 personnel would perform security duties during Muharram, including 5,500 deployed for the main Ashura procession.

According to a police spokesman, roads and streets along procession routes have been sealed, snipers have been deployed on rooftops, and participants would undergo body searches before entering processions.

More than 2,000 Safe City and other CCTV cameras are monitoring the city, with surveillance continuing from Safe City and the central control room. Special pickets have also been established at entry and exit points of the city.

Police have also developed a mobile application for the identification and scanning of identity cards at pickets and bus terminals.

A total of 475 processions and 2,201 majalis are scheduled to be held across the Rawalpindi district during Muharram.

Punjab

In Punjab, medical and emergency services, including Rescue 1122, Civil Defence personnel, mobile health units, field hospitals and volunteers, have been deployed to assist mourners, officials said,

Sanitation workers have also been assigned to ensure cleanliness along procession routes and around religious sites.

A three-tier security plan has been implemented province-wide, under which more than 125,000 police personnel have been deployed while 61 companies of the Pakistan Army and 76 companies of Rangers have been requisitioned to support security arrangements.

In addition, over 30,000 trained volunteers are assisting law-enforcement agencies.

The authorities are using modern surveillance technologies, including artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems, CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras and geo-tagged video monitoring.

The Provincial Intelligence Centre is also conducting round-the-clock monitoring of processions and majalis through a digital surveillance wall.

Over 5,600 CCTV cameras are operational for Muharram monitoring, while more than 1,000 4G event cameras have been installed at sensitive locations.

Lahore Police Chief Bilal Siddique Kamyana said monitoring is being carried out through the Safe City system in the provincial capital, with four central control rooms and 600 additional cameras.

He said more than 15,000 officers and personnel have been deployed on special duty in Lahore, while highly trained snipers have been stationed on high-rise buildings along all procession routes.

A statement issued by the Punjab Home Department said mobile phone services would be partially suspended in 24 districts of Punjab, namely Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Sargodha, Khushab, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Narowal, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Chiniot, Multan, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Kot Addu, Bahawalnagar and Rahimyar Khan.

The service would remain suspended at the locations of religious gatherings until 10pm, the statement said.

KP

In Peshawar, police had chalked out a plan to deploy 12,000 personnel in the city for security during Muharram processions.

A statement by police said that personnel from the city police, rapid response force, quick response force, ladies traffic police and bomb disposal units were to be deployed for security in Muharram.

It added that three-layered security would be provided to all mourning processions, while marksmen would be set up at high-rise buildings along the procession routes. In addition to this, 1,000 traffic personnel were also to be deployed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic across the city.

Similarly, bomb disposal units and sniffer dogs were to be deployed to sweep imambargahs, majalis and procession routes, the statement said, adding that personnel in plain clothes had also been deployed at sensitive locations and places of worship across the city.

Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also visited Command Post Kohati and conducted a detailed review of the central Muharram control room and security arrangements.

Last week, KP IG Zulfiqar Hameed directed police officials to enhance daily coordination with district administrations and peace committees at the district level to prevent any unpleasant incident during Muharram.

Separately, a police statement said Muharram processions and religious gatherings on Ashura would be monitored through the Safe City camera network in Peshawar.

It further stated that 43,317 police personnel would be deployed across the province to perform security duties during Muharram, and Section 144 had been enforced in various districts of KP.

The statement said that out of 614 imambargahs across the province, 127 had been declared highly sensitive, 262 sensitive and 225 normal and that a total of 907 Muharram processions were expected to be taken out across the province, with 286 being highly sensitive, 190 sensitive and 431 normal.

Balochistan

The Balochistan government also finalised stringent security arrangements for Muharram 10, deploying more than 32,000 security personnel to ensure the safety of Ashura processions.

The main procession routes are to be monitored continuously through aerial surveillance and a comprehensive network of CCTV cameras while all shops, markets, plazas, and commercial centres along the procession routes have been sealed.

According to official sources, more than 17,000 personnel have been deployed exclusively in Quetta. These forces will guard the main procession routes, key public spaces, and all entry and exit points of the city. The deployment includes personnel from the District Police, Balochistan Constabulary, Rapid Response Force (RRF), Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF), Frontier Corps (FC), and the Anti-Riot Force.

As part of the security protocol, mobile phone services and internet connectivity have been suspended across Quetta and other sensitive areas of Balochistan while the procession is taken out.

Additional reporting by Mohammad Hussain Khan, Manzoor Ali, Imtiaz Ali, Imran Gabol and Asif Chaudhry ...