Daily Times

Inspector General of Police Punjab Muhammad Tahir said that police officials and officers would remain on high alert to ensure peaceful environment throughout the province today (Thursday) in order to prevent any untoward activity by extremists and terrorists.

He ordered strict screening and checking of the routes of central processions both today and tomorrow (Friday) and that would be done through a bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs of special branch while arrangements would be made for the parking of bikes and cars at minimum 100 feet away from mosques and imam-barghas after being checked by active officials.

He further said to utilise all the available resources for the provision of Muharram security and to ensure punctuality of all the processions and majalis and ordered to expedite search, sweep, combing and intelligence based operations in the vicinity of processions, majalis and imam-bargahs of the sensitive districts. He also asked to ensure strict implementation of loud-speaker act and ban on walk chalking and aerial firing.

During his visit to Faisalabad and Sargodha, IG Punjab chaired a high level meeting in Regional Police Officers’ offices. The meeting was attended by RPO Faisalabad Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, RPO Sargodha Sultan Ahmad Chaudhary, City Police Officer Faisalabad Ishfaq Ahmed Khan, Divisional Police Officer Jhang Shakir Hassan Dawar, DPO Chiniot Ibadat Nisar, DPO Toba Tek Singh Zulfiqar Ahmed, DPO Sargodha Muhammad Hassan Raza Khan, DPO Mianwali Syed Karar Hussain, DPO Kushab Hasnain Haider and DPO Bhakkar Khurram Shakoor were also present.

On this occasion, RPO Faisalabad and RPO Sargodha briefed IG Punjab about the security plan of Muharram upon which IG Punjab directed them to ensure a four-layer security, according to the defined standard operating procedures, for the sensitive processions and majalis. He said that plain clothes commandos should be deployed for security of majalis and processions and he directed to deploy snipers on roof tops of the buildings on the routes of sensitive processions and majalis. He emphasised that no mourner should be allowed to enter a majalis and processions without getting checked through metal detectors and walk through gates.

He said that strict action would be taken against those who show any negligence towards their duty. He further said that it is the prime responsibility of police to ensure peaceful environment and provision of safety and security to the lives and properties of people and he was of the belief that police officers and officials will perform this duty with great honesty and rigour. He also said that a crackdown would be launched after Muharram 10, for the elimination of anti-social and terrorist elements.