PESHAWAR: The mobile phone service will be suspended in the provincial capital on Muharram 9 and 10 as part of security plan, while over 10,500 police and security personnel will be deployed across the city for the security of mourning processions.

Capital city police officer Mohammad Ali Gandapur and SSP (operations) Mansoor Aman told reporters here on Friday that elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure peace during the month of Muharram, especially on Ashura.

Mr Gandapur said the police had decided about the suspension of mobile phone service on Muharram 9 and 10, and had written to the interior ministry for formal approval.

He said a total of 10,600 personnel of police, Pakistan Army and Frontier Constabulary would be deployed across the provincial capital on Ashura to ensure peace.

The CCPO said the police would monitor mourning processions, their routes and other sensitive places by 100 closed-circuit television cameras.

He said the police would provide a three-layered security to all 116 processions to be taken out in the city.

10,000 police, security personnel to be deployed in Peshawar

Mr Gandapur said drone cameras would be used to monitor the movement of suspicious people, while snipers would be deployed at high-rise buildings on procession routes.

He said 43 ‘gun points’ and 63 ‘plugging points’ manned by the police personnel would be set up across the city and armoured personnel carriers would be deployed in different parts of the city during first 10 days of Muharram.

The CCPO also revealed the deployment of the personnel of the rapid response force, anti-terrorist squad, women police, bomb disposal unit, city patrolling force and district security branch in the city.

He said major mourning processions and their routes would be monitored through drone cameras, while the police would use helicopters for the aerial monitoring of the city on on Muharram 9 and 10.

Mr Gandapur said procession routes would be checked by the bomb disposal unit and sniffer dogs.

He said under the security plan, 63 imambargahs and nine sabeels were provided with adequate security.

The CCPO said a plan had been developed to ensure smooth flow of traffic during Muharram.

He said the police had set up special checkpoints at the entry and exits points of the city, where vehicles entering the city were thoroughly checked.

Mr Gandapur said the administration had also decided to ban the entry of Afghan refugees to the city, while vehicles won’t be allowed to enter the interior city ahead of Ashura.

He said the police had set up a command post at the Kohati Chowk, a control room at the Khan Raziq Shaheed police station in Qissa Khwani Bazaar and five sub-command posts in other parts of the city.

The CCPO said besides police, officials of Rescue 1122, fire brigade, Peshawar Electric Supply Company, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and district administration would be available for better coordination.

He said the police officials had held meetings with people from different walks of life to seek their proposals for peaceful Muharram.

Mr Gandapur said 1,130 suspicious people were rounded up in the city during the last two weeks, while action had been taken against 1,500 people during the checking of tenant registrations and hotels.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2020