FAISALABAD: Provincial Minister for Information and Culture Punjab, and In-charge of Muharram arrangements for Faisalabad Division, Azma Bokhari, stated that a peaceful Muharram, characterized by brotherhood, tolerance, and respect, is the mission of the Punjab government.

To this end, all provincial cabinet members are actively engaged in various divisions of Punjab under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. She emphasized that maintaining law and order is a top priority and that the sanctity of Ashura will be upheld. She made these remarks while presiding over a high-level meeting at the DC Office Faisalabad.

Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh briefed the Provincial Minister about the Muharram arrangements, informing her that all procession routes and gatherings in the district are being thoroughly monitored. CPO Kamran Adil also attended the meeting, along with officials from WASA, PHA, and the Municipal Corporation.

The Provincial Minister was informed that 387 CCTV cameras are operational across the district for monitoring purposes, and 40 walk-through gates have been installed on the main routes of processions and gatherings.

Minister Azma Bokhari stressed the importance of closely monitoring social media during the last three days of Muharram to prevent the spread of hateful and inflammatory content. She highlighted the necessity of verifying reported violations.

The Provincial Minister directed the immediate commencement of distributing Mashroobs and food to participants along the routes of the Muharram processions on behalf of the Punjab government, ensuring quality checks and labelling the packages with the logo of the Chief Minister of Punjab and the Punjab government.

She instructed the Deputy Commissioner and the CPO to continuously monitor flashpoints and maintain close contact with religious leaders of the peace committees. Surveillance should be conducted using the CCTV cameras installed along the procession routes.

She emphasized that alongside religious observances, maintaining law and order is a national duty, requiring collective efforts. She mentioned that she has been assigned the responsibility of monitoring Muharram arrangements in Faisalabad under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and will remain in Faisalabad Division until the conclusion of Ashura processions and gatherings.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024