PESHAWAR: Ashura was observed peacefully in the provincial capital and other parts of the province on Tuesday.

Over 11,000 policemen were deployed across the provincial capital to provide security to the Ashura processions, while mobile service also remained suspended on Monday and Tuesday – Muharram 8 and 9.

Over a dozen Zuljinnah processions were taken out from different imambarghas of the capital city, which concluded peacefully after passing through their designated routes. Majalis Sham-i-Ghariban were held in the evening.

Talking to reporters at the supreme command post set up at the Kohati Gate, provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari said joint efforts of the all departments ensured peace during Ashura.

He said Muharram 10 processions had concluded peacefully as law and order situation remained in control throughout the province. He said 900 mourning processions were taken out from about 600 imambargahs across the province.

Mr Ansari said he had deployed more than 60,000 police personnel across the province to ensure peace during Muharram, while over 11,000 personnel were deployed in provincial capital alone.

Chief secretary Dr Shahzad Bangash appreciated the police and district administrations for ensuring peace on Ashura. Besides, he said traders and the general public also contributed their share in maintenance of peace.

On the other hand, Ashura processions were held peacefully in Haripur, which was among the districts declared sensitive for Muharram.

The Alam and Zuljinah possessions were taken out from Imambargah Qasar-i-Abi Talib Mankraey and four main processions from Panjkatha area of Khanpur, which culminated at designated points amid tight security.

For ensuring foolproof security, the mobile service also remained suspended for the duration of processions.

Similarly, Ashura processions ended peacefully in Dera Ismail Khan. The main procession of Ashura in Dera Ismail Khan city started from Imambargah Bammun Shah (Imam Hussain). It was also joined by 16 small and big processions from other parts of the city. The processions passed through their traditional routes and reached Kotli Imam Hussain.

During the processions, the mourners recited Nohas, beat their chests and did self-flagellation in the memory of the martyrs of Karbala.

Langar and Niaz and Sabeel-i-Hussain (meal and sharbat distribution) were also arranged at different points of the processions.

The main Ashura procession in Tank district was held in Gara Baloch village amid strict security.

Over 7,500 personnel and officers of police performed Muharram duty in DI Khan and 2,200 in Tank.

There are a total of 69 imambargahs in Dera, where 194 small and big mourning processions were taken out across the district till Ashura. A total of 642 majalis were held across the district on Ashura.

In Kohat, processions were also taken out from 29 imambargas on the Hangu highway from different towns and villages.

At the request of the district administration, the mourners staged processions on the sidelines of the main road to allow the smooth movement of traffic on the main road linking Kohat with Hangu, Orakzai and Parachinar.

The processions culminated at the shrine of Ghazi Alamdar in the late afternoon.

The administration had deployed 4,500 police and Frontier Constabulary personnel for the security of processions and imambargahs.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2022