LAHORE, Nov 21: The Punjab government is on tenterhooks amid apprehensions about Friday’s protest call. It claims to have taken ‘extraordinary’ measures to ensure peace throughout the day.

The Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat and the Difa-i-Pakistan Council are set to observe Friday a protest day by participating in demonstrations.

Although the main organisations of Barelvis, the largest school of thought in the country, like the JUP, the Sunni Ittehad Council, the Sunni Tehrik and the seminaries under the influence of the JUI-F have announced that they will not come out on roads during the protest, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is not taking any chance and has mobilised the administrative and political channels to seek a peaceful day.

He has made personal contacts with various leaders requesting them to use their influence among the masses to keep them calm and cool. Officials say he will be personally monitoring sensitive areas and performance of the authorities through helicopter during the day to avoid dereliction of duty as was witnessed in Rawalpindi.

The Rangers have been put at the disposal of district authorities in various towns, particularly in major cities, as reinforcement for the civil administration in case situation gets out of control.

Though political authorities do not admit, reports say the police have been asked not to allow any procession to come out on roads and make all parties hold their activities within four walls. At least 10,000 Reserve Police personnel are being deputed in Lahore to implement the direction.

Educational institutions, both in public and private sectors, in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and other sensitive districts have been directed to be closed.

The chief minister sent Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan to Rawalpindi to hold a press conference there to dispel the rumours about higher death toll in the incident on Muharram 10 and pacify the people by assuring them that dozens of suspects involved in the tragedy had been identified and their arrest was on the cards.

Shahbaz himself spoke to all MPs and ticket-holders of the PML-N as well as the police authorities and administrations of the nine divisions in the province through a video link on Thursday.

During his over two-hour speech, he exhorted his political colleagues to play a vigorous role in maintaining law and order during the protest by convincing the religious leadership not to take any step or use such words that could fan violence.

Apparently not satisfied with the administration and the police reports about the security arrangements, the chief minister sought views of the elected representatives who had also been invited to the video conference.

He sought foolproof security arrangements on Friday and directed the administration and the police to remain alert and depute more police force at mosques and Imambargahs.

He directed the MPs, the administration and the police to perform their duties under a collective strategy and maintain close coordination with religious scholars and the business community. He directed activation of peace committees at the district level.

The chief minister held another meeting with the authorities late in the evening to review the law and order situation. He directed the Punjab IGP and the home secretary to confiscate hate literature and remove wall chalking.

He further directed that ban on the use of loudspeakers be strictly implemented and the police should take stern action against the violators. He said the officers should be in the field during the day and should not remain confined to their offices.

According to the scheduled programme the workers of various parties, mainly the ASWJ, the Jamaatud Dawa and the Jamaat-i-Islami, will start gathering outside the Lahore Press Club.

The JI emir has appealed to the masses and the political and religious parties to participate in the protests.

JI Secretary-General Liaquat Baloch said according to decisions of the DPC and the Milli Yakjehti Council peaceful protest was the right of the people.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday announced that his party would not be part of the Friday protests. He said the government had already accepted his party’s demands by pledging reconstruction of the affected mosque and adjacent shops.