Call for harmony as 8th Muharram procession staged

Karachi

Staged amid tight security, the 8th Muharram procession started from Nishtar Park on Friday and concluded at the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.

Apart from the law enforcement agencies, Shai scouts also monitored the procession.

After leaving Nishtar Park, the mourners passed through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road and Father Jamins Road to reach the Shah-e-Khorasan. Then they proceeded towards MA Jinnah Road from where they passed through Mansfield Street and Preedy Street and returned to the MA Jinnah Road.

The procession then headed towards the Baba-e-Urdu Road, passed the Chand Bibi Road crossing, Nishtar Road, Bara Imam, Altaf Hussain Road, MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Nawab Mahabat Khanji Road and culminated at the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.

The entry points of MA Jinnah Road were sealed and police and Rangers deployed atop its buildings. The route of the procession was closed for vehicular traffic.

Sabeels were set up along the route to provide water and tea to the participants of the procession.

The entry points at Empress Market and MA Jinnah Road were sealed using containers and buses.

Motorcyclists were kept half a kilometre away from the procession as part of the security plan.

Sectarian harmony

Addressing the participants of the procession, Shia Ulema including Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Hasan Zafar Naqvi and Allama Talib Jauhari stressed the need for sectarian harmony.

They maintained that there were no differences between the Shia and Sunni communities and some other elements were trying to instigate sectarian violence.

The Ulema highlighted the sacrifice made by Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) and advised everyone to follow in his footsteps.

They also demanded that the government should provide protection to the Shia community members in the city.

During the procession, the mourners flagellated themselves to remember the sufferings Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions faced at the battleground of Karbala.

Nohas were recited and Tabarruk distributed among the mourners.

Participation urged

The Karachi leaders of the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) urged Shias across the city to attend the main processions on the 9th and 10th of Muharram and not remain at home.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Maulana Sadiq Raza Taqvi, secretary general of the MWM Karachi chapter, told all the Shias of Karachi that it was their duty to join the Azadari processions.

Religious scholars Hujjat-ul-Islam Allama Shaikh Hassan Salahuddin, Maulana Mohammad Hussain Karimi and other officials of the MWM were also present.

“Terrorists have imposed a war on the followers of Imam Hussain as did their ancestors,” emphasised Maulana Taqvi.

He was sure that Shias of Karachi would surprise the world by attending the processions on the 9th and the 10th in massive numbers.

“We demand a countrywide army operation to eliminate terrorists and thwart terrorism across the country,” he asserted. The MWM asked political parties to join hands and chalk out a joint course of action to counter terrorists.

He said that suicide attacks and bomb explosions at the Azadari processions would fail to scare Shias. He condemned the acts of terrorism at congregations and processions near Imambargahs in Karachi and other parts of the country.

Security measures

In order to ensure that processions and Majalis would conclude without incident, the Sindh police department decided to deploy 20,000 cops in the city for security on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

Director Press of the Sindh Police Department, in a statement, said that 282 mourning processions would take place on the 9th of Muharram besides 700 Majalis at different Imambargahs.

As many as 9,500 cops were deployed for security at processions and Majalis, while 620 police mobile units would be used. As many as 5,500 cops would provide security for the central procession.

Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police was informed through a report that besides the installation of walkthrough gates, metal detectors were placed for checking mourners coming to attend the central procession.

Beside Bomb Disposal Squad personnel, policemen in civvies were deployed to search parking areas and those places surrounding the processions. Similar measures were being taken for mourners at the Hussainia Irania Imambargah.

The Central Command and Control Cell of the Sindh Police, established at the Central Police Office, would monitor live feeds and recorded CCTV footage of the central procession.

Posted in: Karachi News