PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Monday declared Peshawar, Hangu, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan as the most sensitive districts for Muharram.

An announcement in this respect was made after senior police officials of the province met here to discuss Muharram security plan.

Provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani chaired the meeting, where regional police officers, district police officers, AIG of Special Branch, DIG of Counter-Terrorism Department and Peshawar police chief were in attendance.

According statement issued by the police, 429 Muharram processions will be taken out in the province, while 940 majalis will take place during the month.

The police have identified 129 ‘trouble spots’ on procession routes across the province.

The provincial capital has 67 imambargahs from where 121 precessions will be taken out on different days of Muharram.

Police say all processions will be electronically monitored

In Dera Ismail Khan district, which has 66 imambargahs, 174 processions will be taken out during Muharram.

Hangu and Kohat DPOs told the meeting that ensuring law and order in both districts during Muharram would be a challenging job.

Nasir Durrani directed the police to ensure live electronic monitoring of all processions and adopt three-tier checking for entry to every imambargah and procession.

He said for the first time in the province, all processions would be electronically monitored live for which a software had been installed in all districts of the province.

They were also told to make security zones for imambargahs and precessions, adopt three-tier security filter points, frisk people before allowing to them to enter imambargahs and processions, and keep organisers along with the police on these points.

The police chief said the police would ensure that procession route and venue be cleared by a joint team of all relevant departments; no food or drinks be allowed to be distributed to participants without strict checking, and proper lighting arrangement be made in and around the venue of majalis.

He said he had asked the police to ensure hotspot policing and deployment on hilltops and rooftops in sensitive areas and plugging of all streets leading to imambargahs and procession routes.

Besides asking the police to bar people from standing on rooftops on procession routes, Durrani also issued directions for the checking of particulars of the tenants living on procession routes and in close proximity of imambargahs.

He said security arrangements for Muharram would be checked by Special Branch and in case of any lapse, the relevant DPOs would be held responsible for it.

Published in Dawn, October 13th , 2015

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