Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAWW) Celebrated With Religious Fervor Amid Tight Security; 4000 Cops Deployed

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Nov, 2018 ) :Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) was celebrated here on Wednesday with religious zeal and fervor amid tight security arrangements as over 4000 police personnel were deployed in Rawalpindi district.

All the roads, streets and main buildings in the city and cantt areas were decorated beautifully with colourful lights and buntings. A number of programmes were chalked out to celebrate the birth of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) with great reverence and devotion.

Different Naat committees organized Naat competitions to celebrate Eid Milad.

Like every year, the government and religious organizations arranged a number of activities to celebrate the annual event. As a tradition, Milad-un-Nabi processions were held in all areas of the town. Around 350 Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions were taken out from different parts of the city. The main procession of Milad-un-Nabi started in the morning from Jamia Masjid road which passed through its traditional route, Jamia Masjid Road, Bani Chowk, Kohati Bazar, Murree road, Committee Chowk, Iqbal road, Fowara Chowk, Raja Bazaar and other areas. Federal Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafique, Pir Muhammad Naqeeb ur Rehman, Sahibzada Hasan Haseen ur Rehman, Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal Rizvi, Sheikh Azam Khursheed and others were present at the markazi stage set up near Jamia Masjid Hanfia and offered special prayers for the peace, progress and prosperity of the country.

Another big procession of Rawalpindi Cantt area started from Chungi no 22 and after passing through its traditional route culminated at the starting point.

Besides, big processions were also taken out from Sihala, Gorakh Pure, Adiala Road, Pirwadhai, Fauji Colony, Tench Bhatta, Dhamiyal, People's Colony, Tipu Road, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Kuri Road, Shakriyal, Khanna Dak, Golra Sharif, Mehrabad, Chur, Allahabad, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Waris Khan, Banni, Rawat, Soan, Dhoke Juma, Dhoke Kalhoor, Bakra Mandi, Baraf Khana and Morgah. Similarly, dozens of big and small processions appeared from other localities of Rawalpindi.

Wagons, Pick-ups, motorcycles, cycles, rickshaws and cars were included in the processions while thousands of faithful were on foots (pedestrians) to show love with Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

The district government had allowed 65 registered 'sabeels' at different points that were arranged under the supervision of police and the City Peace Committee (CPC) for the participants of the processions.

All the routes of the processions of Eid Milad-un-Nabi had been cleaned while no person was allowed to stand on rooftops of the buildings along the routes. Drum beating and music was banned. The water tankers of WASA and ambulances of Rescue-1122 equipped with necessary medicines, doctors and paramedical staff, police officials, volunteers of civil defence accompanied the processions.

As many as 500 close circuit television cameras were installed on the routes while the traffic was closed on the routes of central procession. All the streets were barricaded to prevent motorcyclists from entering the processions.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Abbas Ahsan had warned all the police officials deployed for security of Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions that they should perform their duties with dedication and commitment failing which they would face strict disciplinary action.

As per previous tradition, prizes were distributed to the winners of competitions of Naat, Qirat and decorators of the best streets and stage.

All kinds of streets, roads and buildings were decorated with colourful lights and banners. A number of stalls were set up in many streets across the town where the sale of badges, stickers and flags was going on.

Strict security measures were taken to maintain law and order on the day by the city district government. A control room was set up by the city district government for the surveillance of processions and for reviewing security arrangements.

Religious scholars and Ulema in their special sermons highlighted the significance of the occasion and asked the people to follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW) to achieve success in this life as well as the life hereafter. Special prayers for the peace, progress, prosperity of the nation and freedom of occupied Kashmir, Palestine and other Muslim occupied lands were also offered. Children and youth erected the clay replica of desert and mountains of the Arab peninsula where the divine message first dawned on the Prophet (SAW).

The hospitals were on red alert on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal while teaching hospitals of the town had also made special arrangements to deal with any emergency situation.

Emergency response centers were also established in the city where staff of all departments concerned including Municipal Services Health, Wapda, Sui Gas, Telephone and other utility services departments remained present.

Quick Response Force (QRF) and Elite Force were also deployed for the protection of the processions taken out on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal. Female volunteers of civil defence were also with the processions. Other departments, TMA, Rescue 1122, WAPDA, Civil Defence and Bomb Disposal Squad remained alert to tackle any emergency situation.

The portion of Rialto Chowk to Benazir Bhutto Hospital of Murree Road remained closed for all vehicular traffic.

Over 2000 cops were deployed to ensure security of the main procession of the town in Rawalpindi city while nearly 2000 police personnel were on security duty in other tehsils of the district including Gujar Khan, Murree, Kahuta and Taxila.

The cops with Elite Force, Special Branch officials, Muhafiz Force, motorcycle squads, Bomb disposal squads, Lady Police and personnel of other departments concerned were deployed to guard the Milad processions.

Special duties were also performed by the members of the peace committee, members of Anjuman-e-Tajran and volunteers of the procession committee to ensure the security of the processions.

Special entry points were available for the faithful to join the main procession where walk-through gates were installed and after proper body search and thorough checking they were allowed to go ahead. Parking of vehicles on the route of the processions was allowed at a distance.

As many as 570 Traffic Wardens including 490 traffic officers, 47 Inspectors, seven Deputy Superintendents of Police and 27 Traffic Assistants were deployed to regulate traffic. There were nearly 17 diversion points in the city to ensure thetraffic flow. Special traffic arrangements were also made for Murree and othertehsils of the district.