LAHORE: As preparations for Muharram-ul-Haram 2026 gather pace, the federal government has directed all provinces and administrative units to urgently submit their requirements for the deployment of army troops, Civil Armed Forces (CAFs) and security equipment, while the Punjab government has announced extensive measures aimed at ensuring peace and security during the sacred month.
In a “Most Immediate” communication issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control informed provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory administration that Muharram would commence on June 16 and asked them to forward their consolidated requisitions for military and CAF deployment by June 8.
The ministry warned that delayed requests would leave insufficient time for obtaining mandatory approval from the federal cabinet and cautioned that responsibility for any untoward incident resulting from delayed deployment requests would rest with the respective provincial administrations.
The directive was issued by the Ministry of Interior circulated to all provincial home secretaries, the ICT administration and other relevant authorities, including the General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, Punjab reviewed its Muharram security preparations during the 54th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order held at the Civil Secretariat. The meeting directed authorities to complete security upgrades at all imambargahs and places of worship before Muharram.
Installation of CCTV cameras, walkthrough gates and metal detectors was declared mandatory at sensitive religious sites to strengthen security arrangements.
