Mourning processions culminate peacefully

Rawalpindi
Amid stringent security arrangements, thousands of mourners participated in processions in different localities of Rawalpindi on 7th of Muharram to pay homage to the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions. All mourning processions culminated peacefully at their destinations.
However, the residents witnessed traffic jams in different localities of Rawalpindi, including Benazir Bhutto Road.
The main procession of 7th Muharram was brought out from Sadiqabad. Passing through its traditional route of Committee Chowk, Fawara Chowk, Trunk Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road and Narankari Bazaar, it culminated peacefully at Qadeemi Imambargah. Other big and small processions started from different localities and joined the main procession.
The ‘zakireen,’ in their ‘sermons,’ paid rich tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) on the occasion. They highlighted the significance of the day and shed light on the sacrifices rendered by Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his followers to uphold the supremacy of Islam.
To ensure foolproof security, the participants of all mourning processions were frisked at the entry points to imambargahs, while multiple walkthrough gates were installed to check individuals entering the imambargahs and the mourning processions.
Apart from police force, contingents of Pakistan Rangers were deployed to ensure security, while a helicopter continuously hovered over the procession route. Those who joined the processions had to show their computerised national identity cards (CNICs). Due to security reasons, showing of CNICs has been made mandatory for the participants of Muharram processions and ‘majalis’ in the city.
The Pakistan Rangers as well as mounted personnel of the Elite Force patrolled the sensitive areas and procession routes. More than 3,000 policemen were deployed at various points of the city to avoid any untoward situation, while the traffic police blocked all sides of procession routes with barriers. People had also organised ‘langar’ and ‘sabeels’ for the participants of mourning processions.