KP police chief orders closer coordination for Muharram security

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed on Tuesday directed police officials to strengthen daily coordination with district administrations and peace committees at the district level to avert any untoward incident during Muharram, according to an official statement.

The direction came during a meeting at the Central Police Office in Peshawar with members of the provincial peace committee and religious scholars from different schools of thought. The police chief held detailed discussions on maintaining peace and order during Muharram, particularly on Ashura, and stressed the need for close contact and unity among followers of different sects during the first 10 days of the month.

Mr Hameed said police could not fully succeed against criminals without public cooperation and called for joint efforts to uphold peace and order in society. Members of the provincial peace committees assured the police of their full support for maintaining peace during Muharram. Delegation members also proposed strict compliance with procession timings, a ban on the entry of unauthorised persons into the city, and stronger coordination between police and local elders.

Security deployment in Peshawar

Separately, city police have prepared a Muharram security plan under which 12,000 personnel will be deployed. According to a statement, the deployment will include officials from city police, the rapid response force, quick response force, ladies traffic police and the bomb disposal unit.

The statement said all mourning processions would be given three-layered security, while gun points would be established on high-rise buildings along procession routes. Another 1,000 traffic personnel will be assigned to keep traffic moving across the city. Bomb disposal teams and sniffer dogs will sweep imambargahs, majalis venues and procession routes, while plainclothes personnel have been posted at sensitive points and places of worship across the city.

Haripur arrangements

In Haripur, police have deployed 1,649 personnel for Muharram security across the district. District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur said 65 licensed mourning processions would be taken out at different times and locations from the 5th of Muharram to the 28th of Safar.

He said 23 of those processions had been declared most sensitive and 42 sensitive. “Out of these processions, 23 have been declared most sensitive and 42 are sensitive,” he said.

The DPO also said 190 majalis would be held in villages and urban areas of the district’s three tehsils. Of them, five were categorised as most sensitive, five as sensitive and the remainder as normal. He said the security plan had been prepared in line with those categories.

According to the DPO, the deployment in Haripur includes 1,410 foot constables, 143 head constables, 44 ASIs, 31 sub-inspectors, seven inspectors, 10 DSPs, three superintendents of police and the DPO himself, all of whom will remain on duty during the mourning processions.

Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu meetings

In Dera Ismail Khan, religious leaders from both Sunni and Shia schools of thought assured the district administration of their full cooperation in maintaining peace and promoting brotherhood during Muharram. The assurance came at a meeting on Tuesday attended by religious leaders, community elders and administrative officials to review arrangements for Muharram 2026 and encourage inter-sect harmony in the district.

The meeting was chaired by Assistant Commissioner Dr Mohammad Hamid Siddiq. Participants discussed steps aimed at ensuring peaceful observance of Muharram, preserving law and order, and promoting mutual respect, religious tolerance and sectarian harmony.

Also on Tuesday, DIG Bannu Region Rab Nawaz Khan and DPO Bannu Yasir Afridi joined the IGP’s meeting through video link along with religious scholars, members of the business community and local elders. The discussion focused on the law and order situation during Muharram, inter-sect harmony, security preparations and the importance of public cooperation in maintaining peace.