Sindh Home Minister Ziaul-Hassan Lanjar said on Tuesday that strict security arrangements should be made across the province on the occasion of the third ashra of Ramazan, Shab-e-Qadr gatherings and the martyrdom day of Hazrat Ali (RA).
Officials said Lanjar directed that the police and law enforcement agencies should be put on high alert for the security of mosques, Imambargahs, gatherings and processions. Additional personnel should be deployed at sensitive locations in all major cities of Sindh, including Karachi, to ensure implementation of a comprehensive security plan for the processions and gatherings of the martyrdom day of Hazrat Ali (RA), he said.
He further said that in view of the gatherings on odd nights and Shab-e-Qadr, security should be further tightened around mosques and places of worship. Walk-through gates, sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads should be used along procession routes and gathering places. Moreover, joint patrols of Rangers and police should be increased in sensitive areas.
The home minster said continuous monitoring of the security situation from central control rooms through CCTV cameras should be done , and a zero tolerance policy should be adopted against miscreants and those who disturb peace. The public is appealed to immediately report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
Lanjar said full contact should be maintained with scholars, organizers of gatherings and processions so that law and order can be ensured. The Sindh government is taking all possible steps to protect the lives and property of citizens.
Karachi has also been put on high alert, and extensive security arrangements have been made for the main Yaum-e-Ali procession to be held on Wednesday (today), with over 5,200 police officials deployed across the city.
According to the security plan, a total of 5,213 police officials would be on duty: 19 SSPs and SPs, 53 DSPs, 755 NGOs, 4,244 head constables and constables, and 142 female police officials.
Special security arrangements have been made along the main procession route as well as the entry, exit and return points. The measures include route sealing, snap checking, continuous monitoring through CCTV cameras and the deployment of snipers on high-rises.
Quick response teams will remain on alert to deal with emergencies, while police contingents have also been deployed at major hospitals as a precautionary step. The Sindh Home Department has reportedly issued a high threat alert for all seven districts of Karachi ahead of Yaum-e-Ali and ordered implementing strict security measures.
The organisers of processions and religious gatherings have been instructed to follow strict guidelines, according to official directives sent to deputy commissioners, the Sindh police chief and divisional commissioners.
Orders have been issued that all processions must conclude by the Maghrib prayers, while the number and size of processions would be reduced by around 45 per cent in view of the prevailing security situation.
The directives also call for close coordination with Shia scholars and procession organisers to ensure strict implementation of the security SOP and to hold the events in a peaceful manner. The city police chief has ordered all officials to perform their duties with vigilance and professionalism to ensure law and order, protect the participants and facilitate the residents.
Police have also urged the residents to cooperate with the security agencies, report any suspicious activity to Madadgar 15 immediately and follow the traffic advisories issued by the traffic police.
