RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government will get six companies of the Pakistan Army and four companies of Rangers to maintain law and order situation in Rawalpindi district.

The government has asked the local administration and police in the Rawalpindi division’s four districts – Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum and Rawalpindi – to implement the ban imposed on the inter-provincial movement of religious scholars.

In a high-level meeting to review the arrangements for Muharram, Punjab Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said the provincial government had provided sufficient funds to maintain law and order in the division, and said it was the duty of the law enforcement to implement the security plan.

He said the provincial government had imposed a ban on the inter-provincial movement of religious scholars and if a speech by a religious scholar from outside the province is delivered in a mosque or Imambargah, the site’s management would face legal action.

The meeting was attended by Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Fakhar Sultan Raja, district coordination officers (DCO) from all four districts, PML-N Metropolitan president Sardar Naseem, MNA Malik Abrar and more.

Sarwar said no new route will be allowed for the Azadari procession and complete security will be provided on the traditional route for the Ashura procession and other processions.

He said the processions would be recorded through CCTV cameras and video recording cameras placed on the traditional route, particularly at flash points identified by intelligence agencies.

“After prayer time there will be a ban on the gathering of people in all mosques along the route of the Azadari procession and law enforcement agencies should ensure implementation,” he said.

The minister directed local administration to repair roads and lighting systems on the traditional route of the Azadari processions and around Imambargahs and majalis sites.

A senior local administration official told Dawn that the meeting was informed that local administration and police from all four districts have designed security plans along the route of the Muharram procession in case Ashura falls on a Friday.

When contacted DCO Sajid Zafar Dall said over 6,000 police officials would be available to man the Azadari procession and the local administration has completed two rounds of talks with religious scholars from various schools of thought.

“The eight kilometre route of the Ashura procession will be monitored through CCTV cameras and this year the cantonment area will also be monitored through CCTV cameras,” he said.

“The local administration will provide 45 walk-through gates at the police’s request, 14 walk-through gates will be its own and the remaining will be hired from private banks for two days: the seventh and the 10th of Muharram,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2015

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