LAHORE: The Punjab government has sought assistance of Pakistan Army and Rangers to ensure ‘peace and security’ during the holy month of Muharram.
“Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) will render their services for the peaceful observance of Muhar-ram,” said a statement issued by the Punjab Home Department’s spokesperson. According to the statement, the Punjab government has sought deployment of 150 contingents of the Army and Rangers following the requirements of different districts.
“The Punjab police sent a letter to the home department, requesting the deployment of 69 contin-gents of the Army and 81 squads of Rangers across Punjab to assist in providing security during Muhar-ram,” it added.
The assistance of the security forces have been sought from the 1st to the 12th of Muharram, de-pending on the needs of each district.
The request for assistance was made in a letter written by the Home Department to the Pakistan Army and Rangers, in response to a request from the Punjab Police for additional security measures. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities across the country, especially in KP and Balochistan, since the outlawed militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the gov-ernment in November 2022.
It is pertinent to mention here that militants have targeted Muharram processions several times, in-cluding a bomb blast that killed more than 40 people attending the main Ashura procession on Kara-chi’s M. A. Jinnah Road in December 2009. –Agencies
