Phone signals to remain suspended on 9th, 10th Muharram

PESHAWAR: The signals of the cellular phone are likely to remain suspended in some towns after police authorities requested the government to do so for the last two days of Muharram.

An official confirmed that they had asked the government to suspend the cellular phone signals in some sensitive towns, especially in areas close to the Ashura processions on 9th and 10th Muharram. This has been done for the last many years as part of the improved security on the last two days of Ashura.

The police have further strengthened the entry and exit points of the provincial capital as the inner city remained sealed on 8th Muharram on Sunday.

On the outskirts of the city, the Sakhi Pul police post of Nasir Bagh police station was attacked with a hand-grenade on Sunday. However, no casualty or damage was reported.

An official said the attackers managed their escape when the already alert cops on duty opened fire. A number of police stations, posts, offices and vans of the force have come under grenade attacks in the last few months.

On the other hand, the inner city remained sealed and all the trade centres remained closed.

Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz Khan said over 11,000 personnel had been deployed as part of upgraded security for the last days of Ashura Muharram.

A number of policemen along with personnel of Frontier Constabulary are also deployed for the security. The senior police officers including CCPO, SSP Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi, SP City Atiq Shah and SP Cantt Azhar Khan along with senior army officers visited the routes of the processions and inspected the overall security.

Roads leading to the inner city remained blocked with barbed wires and blocks while traffic has been diverted to alternate routes.

After threats of attack, policemen deployed for the security of the Muharram events have been issued special cards and no one without the document will be allowed close to the procession routes. The CCPO also visited the outskirts of the capital city, including Matani and Hassankhel, to inspect the security situation.