LAHORE: With nearly a week left for the start of holy month of Muharram-ul-Haram amid fears of steep rise in Covid-19 cases, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar has said that the Lahore police have requested religious scholars belonging to the Shia community to convince believers, who intending to participate in religious gatherings or congregations, to get themselves vaccinated so that precious lives could be saved.
The CCPO disclosed this while talking to the media during his visit to various Imambargahs and routes of mourning processions in the city including 145-A Model Town, Jamia-tul-Muntazir Model Town and Pando Street, Islampura on Monday.
Talking about the security measures, the senior police officer revealed that bunkers are being constructed at the rooftops of Imambargahs and walkthrough gates and CCTV cameras have been installed to ensure foolproof security of every believer. He said no one will be allowed to enter the processions of Imambargahs and Majalis without complete physical frisking and going through the metal detectors. “Lady police officers and volunteers would also be deployed for the checking of female believers,” he added.
According to Ghulam, electronic barriers and bob-wires would also be installed to ensure safety of the participants of main processions.
“We will ensure checking of all persons at entry and exit points of the city including bus stands and railway stations with the help of different mobile-based “police apps”,” he added.
The CCPO also held a meeting with organizers of imambargahs and license holders of majalis of the City Division along with members of divisional and executive peace committee as well as Shia and Sunni religious leaders and discussed with them security arrangements.
During the meeting, Dogar stressed upon the need for creating religious harmony and brotherhood, forging unity among the people of different groups, sects and beliefs to ensure maintenance of peace and solidarity in the city in the wake of changing security situation at Northwestern borders and strategic importance of “our country as our enemy can try to shatter the peace and damage our national interests by conspiring against religious differences”.
He told the stakeholders the Lahore police with the help of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) have established “Special Monitoring Cells” that will ensure round-the-clock monitoring of social media pages and take stern actions against suspects involved in uploading or making viral controversial, blasphemous and hate-inciting material. “It is the need of the hour to foil nefarious designs of “anti-state elements” who want to disturb peace of the country,” he said.
He said that around 15,000 cops including personnel of Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit, Anti Riot Force, Elite Force and Ababeel Squad would be deployed in the city to ensure security during the religious events.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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