LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Members of the Shi’ite faith will perform mourning rituals Thursday to mark Ashura, the holiest festival in their calendar, amid heightened measures in many places to protect against any sectarian attack.
Clerics will highlight the teachings of Imam Hussain and various aspects of the tragedy.
Elaborate security arrangements have been installed to avoid any untoward incident during the processions. Law enforcement agencies, including police, Rangers and Frontier Corps will provide security.
Apart from the security measures, district administrations, all over the country, have placed hospitals and ambulance services on high alert.
Moreover, the governments of the four provinces, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have taken adequate measures to ensure security on the day.
Pillion-riding has been banned in many cities across the country. Although a blanket blackout of cellular service across the country is not under consideration on Muharram 10th, a partial suspension of the service in different cities due to security reasons is anticipated.
Police have already conducted a survey of procession routes across the country and sealed all shops, houses and buildings on the routes after a thorough check by bomb disposal squads.
Ashura falls on the 10th day of the lunar calendar month of Muharram and commemorates the martyrdom in 680 AD of Imam Hussain, one of the grandsons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), near Karbala in what is now Iraq.
Shi’ites mark the festival with large public rituals, sometimes involving bloody self-flagellation or cutting to signify a link with the sufferings of Hussain, whose martyrdom symbolises a wider struggle against oppression and tyranny.
It is observed in Pakistan and in other countries with sizeable Shi’ite communities, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Last week, the federal government designated August 18 and 19 (Muharram 9th and 10th) as public holidays to observe the ritual.
NCOC ISSUES GUIDELINES:
Last week, the National Command and Operation Centre issued special instructions to mark the climax of the annual ritual with standard operating procedures to contain the spread of Covid-19 infections.
The body issued the instructions keeping in view the recommendations of the clerics.
The instructions underlined that all gatherings and processions should be held under restrictions. The use of face masks, social distancing, thermal screening must be ensured by the local administration.
The guidelines discouraged private gatherings inside the houses.
Hand sanitisers and masks would be provided at the venues of the gatherings and processions by the organisers, it said.
