Youm-e-Ali observed under tight security
Youm-e-Ali-martyrdom day of Hazrat Ali (AS) was observed in the district with religious spirit and reverence under tight security on Sunday.
Marking the occasion, Majalis-e-Aza were held and processions were taken. Section 144 was imposed in Rawalpindi district and pillion riding was banned due to security reasons.
Processions were taken out from New Town, Waris Khan, City, Civil Lines, Cantt, Saddar, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Murree and Taxila circles.
Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Hamayoun Bashir Tarar ensured foolproof security for the processions, with the assistance of policemen and officials of other law-enforcement agencies.
Some 4,000 police personnel including Elite police, ladies police, special branch personnel and volunteers were deployed in district to guard 101 Majalis and 24 processions.
Police personnel manned all imambargahs in the garrison city. Unidentified persons were not allowed to enter the processions.
The traffic police had imposed a complete ban on parking any vehicles or handcarts on the routes of the processions and near imambarghas.
Rawalpindi was among the eight districts in Punjab that were declared sensitive with regards to Youm-e-Ali.
The district administration had also set up a control room to monitor the processions.
Rawalpindi City Traffic Police had announced routes of the processions and alternate routes for traffic. Traffic was diverted from Saddar, Mochi Bazaar, City Police Station, DAV College Chowk, Alam Khan Road, Imambargah Chowk and Committee Chowk to accommodate and ensure security of the processions.
Traffic wardens were directed to ensure parking at a distance of 200 metres from the route of the procession and imambarghas.
On Saturday night, the main Youm-e-Ali procession in Rawalpindi was taken out from Mohanpura. Passing through Kashmiri Bazar, Fawara Chowk, Iqbal Road and Naya Mohalla, it culminated at Col Maqbool Hussain Imambargah at Seher time on Sunday.
Other big processions were taken out from Darbar Sakhi Shah, Imambargah Fatmia, Markazi Imambargah Kosar-e-Zainab and Shah Chan Chiragh Dhoke Rata on Saturday and Sunday.
