Daily Times

LAHORE: The City Traffic Police (CTP) Lahore on Friday chalked out a plan to ensure smooth flow of traffic during the month of Muharram.

The Punjab interior minister also issued strict instructions to law enforcement agencies and other departments concerned to remain on high alert and beef up security in their respective areas, after receiving secret agencies’ report on possible terrorist activities during Muharram.

Sources said that the police high-ups again reviewed security and law and order arrangements across the city, especially in sensitive areas. They issued strict orders to all divisional SPs to enhance patrolling in their respective areas and brief the police officials on security duties as well as threats.

They added that the police also beefed up security arrangements at all entry and exit points of the city. Police have also completely banned unregistered majalis, processions, wall chalking and hate speeches. Only the licence holding clerks are allowed to join the religious gatherings where loud speakers were not in use.

The traffic police have also coordinated with local police officials to communicate with the managements of all majalis and processions.

Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rai Ijaz expressed these views during a special meeting on foolproof security and traffic arrangements with senior police and traffic officials at Qurban Lines.

He added that the traffic police had finalised a special traffic control and security plan, which would consist of three different stages. He said that the people who would come to the venues on their vehicles would be asked to park the cars at already fixed points and the policemen would try their best to minimise traffic at such places.

The CTO said that the traffic police with the help of local police authorities were holding meetings with the managements of majalis and processions, and added that they were specially focusing on ensuring that all the vehicles moving around the sensitive areas were secured.

“They are also using modern techniques of barring different vehicles from entering the sensitive zones, as cars and trucks remained one of the biggest tools of terrorists to create mayhem in modern days,” he said. He said that the roads and streets leading to the venues of majalis and processions would be blocked with concrete and metallic barriers, while traffic police officials would be deployed at such points to divert the traffic to the alternative routes.

He said that the traffic police had already pointed out parking areas near all majalis and processions during Muharram, and talked to the managements to convey the same and convince their people to cooperate with traffic police and parked their vehicles at designated areas to avoid any untoward incident.

He also added that the traffic police would make a plan with the local police, under which they would first facilitate and check the participants of majalis and processions, after which all the persons would have to pass through the walkthrough gates and finally they would be frisked with metal detector before entering the venue.

He further said that the traffic police and Punjab Police high-ups had strictly directed all officers and officials to keep an eye on anti-state elements.

Published in Daily Times, September 23^rd 2017.