Cabinet body lauds law enforcement agencies

LAHORE:On Ashura, the Punjab Cabinet Committee on Law and Order remained in the field and reviewed the security arrangements.

The cabinet committee members paid tribute to the tireless efforts of the law enforcement agencies for the protection of the citizens on Ashura. According to the department’s spokesperson, the committee visited the central control room of Punjab Home Department from where live monitoring of central processions and assemblies across the province was conducted and the arrangements were reviewed. Under the leadership of Minister Health and Chairman Cabinet Committee Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Minister Food Bilal Yasin, Minister Finance Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman were also present while the Secretary Home Punjab Noor ul Amin Mengal briefed the Cabinet Committee about the latest situation.

Punjab Home Secretary said that 3,023 processions and 2,353 Majlis were held in Punjab on 10 Muharram which were monitored under category A, B and C. He said that geo-tagging was done for all the Majlis and processions across Punjab and all the places were monitored in the central control room with latest cameras. The members of the cabinet committee said that on the instructions of the chief minister, they spent all the first 10 days of Muharram in the field supervising the arrangements and witnessed that all the administration and police were active in the field to establish law and order.

The same message was given to all the districts to ensure the implementation of the code of conduct issued by the Home Department and it was fully implemented. All the ministers of the Punjab Cabinet went to the districts and supervised the arrangements. After the Home Department, the Cabinet Committee went to the monitoring centre of the Safe Cities Authority from where they monitored the main processions of Lahore division.

It was informed in the briefing that Safe Cities Authority is monitoring Ashura with 1,860 cameras. Later, on the instructions of the CM, the Cabinet Committee conducted an aerial survey of the procession routes of Lahore and Sheikhupura. Kh Salman Rafique, Food Minister Bilal Yasin, Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman, Interior Secretary Punjab Noor ul Amin Mengal, Additional IG Special Branch Zulfiqar Hameed, Additional IG CTD Waseem were also present.

The Cabinet Committee conducted an aerial inspection of the procession route from old Lahore, Data Darbar and Karbala Gamey Shah. After Lahore, the procession routes of Sheikhupura and the security of the city were reviewed. The cabinet committee directed that all the security officials and civil administration must remain in the field until the people return safely. After that, the SCCLO also reviewed the first aid arrangements for the mourners at Mayo Hospital. The Cabinet Committee along with Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb visited Karbala Gamey Shah, the end point of the main procession in Lahore before sunset and witnessed the final moments of the procession.

The senior provincial minister said that on the order of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, special Niaz, Langar and Sabeel were arranged across the province and this will continue till Chehlum.