Punjab tightens Muharram monitoring, activates QRF against sectarian content, fake news

• Information Minister Azma Bokhari says cabinet committee reviews Muharram security plan for Faisalabad Division

• Says strict coordination ordered between administration, police and procession organizers as control rooms, Safe City surveillance and QR-based panic alert system activated

 FAISALABAD: On the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Faisalabad Division was held to comprehensively review security, law and order, traffic management, and public facilitation arrangements for the first ten days of Muharram.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari, Transport Minister Bilal Akbar Khan, and Advisor on Political Affairs Zeeshan Malik. Following the session, provincial ministers also visited the Central Imambargah Faisalabad and inspected various procession routes.

During the briefing, Faisalabad Commissioner Musarrat Jabeen and RPO Sohail Akhtar Sukhera apprised the Cabinet Committee of the Muharram security plan and administrative arrangements, informing them that a comprehensive and coordinated strategy was being fully implemented to maintain peace and order throughout the holy month.

Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari directed all Deputy Commissioners and District Police Officers to maintain close and continuous coordination with organizers of processions and religious gatherings, and to ensure strict adherence to scheduled timings.

She further instructed that security at sensitive locations and potential flashpoints be further strengthened to eliminate any possibility of untoward incidents.

Azma Bokhari also directed concerned departments to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply, provision of cold drinking water, fans, and other essential facilities for participants of processions and majalis, emphasizing that all arrangements must reflect maximum public facilitation.

She said, in line with the Chief Minister’s directives, Muharram control rooms must remain operational round the clock, with all public complaints addressed promptly and effectively.

The minister further instructed organizers to be fully sensitized regarding the use of the Panic Button application linked through QR codes installed outside imambargahs, enabling immediate response in emergency situations.

She also directed that procession routes be regularly sprinkled with water in view of the intense heat, ensuring comfort for participants and mourners.

Azma Bokhari said a Quick Response Force (QRF) had been deployed to monitor fake news, sectarian propaganda, and hate content on social media, adding that the force would work in close coordination with law enforcement agencies to ensure swift action against misinformation and incitement.

Reiterating the government’s stance, she said maintaining peace, sectarian harmony, and order during Muharram remained the top priority of the Punjab government, which could only be achieved through collective efforts of the administration, law enforcement agencies, and the public.

She further said that procession and majalis routes across all four districts of Faisalabad Division would be continuously monitored through Safe City cameras.

The minister directed authorities to utilize all available communication channels to inform citizens about alternative traffic routes in a timely manner, while traffic wardens must remain present on ground to facilitate and guide the public.