LAHORE, Nov 29: This year, the route of main Zuljinnah and other processions will be dotted with walkthroughs, metal detectors, friskers and sniffer dogs.
Mourners of the main procession, which emerge from Mochi Gate on the eve of Ashura, will be checked at three times in and around the route, according to a police security plan.
Deputy Inspector General (operations) Ghulam Muhammad Dogar told Dawn on Tuesday some 10,000 policemen would man venues and routes of 5,000 processions and majalis in the city.
The police have stepped up security as in 2010 suicide bombers had targeted a Shia procession near Karbala Gamay Shah.
He said the police would frisk every participant in the main procession three times at eight designated points. The same security procedures would be followed for other processions as well.
He said upper-subordinates armed with snipers and G-III rifles would be deployed along the processions.
The DIG said the Special Branch personnel would use sniffer dogs for security clearance of routed and the police would install CCTV cameras and jamming devices along the route.
According to the security plan, 610 majalis, 107 unlicensed processions and eight licensed processions in A-Category have been declared sensitive.
The police would use walkthrough gates and metal detectors at single entry and exit in majalis of A-Category. The police are securing route clearance certificates from the residents and traders along the route of processions and have set up pickets at 12 points of the Walled City.
The checking of vehicles and motorists at all entry exist points of the city has been intensified since Muharram 1.
RANGERS: The Punjab government is also in contact with the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) seeking the deployment of troops in sensitive areas of the province.
(Daily Dawn)
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