Use of Drones Banned in Muharram

The government has implemented a nationwide prohibition on using drones for security purposes during Muharram processions and gatherings from the 1st to the 10th. Decisions concerning internet or mobile phone shutdowns will be made in consultation with respective provinces based on security considerations.

Media reports indicate that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a crucial meeting at the Ministry of Interior to discuss maintaining law and order during Muharram nationwide. The meeting comprehensively reviewed the security plan for Muharram in all provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad.

It was decided in the meeting to prohibit the use of drones for security purposes during processions and gatherings from the 1st to the 10th of Muharram across the country. Determinations regarding internet or mobile phone shutdowns will be made in consultation with the concerned provinces, considering security concerns.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that shutting down the internet or mobile networks inconveniences the public, stressing that decisions should be based on real-time security assessments. He assured that the federal government would extend full cooperation to maintain peace in provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad.

Naqvi highlighted the importance of meeting security requirements in provinces, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, preparing preemptive plans for processions and gatherings, anticipating potential weather disruptions, and implementing rigorous checks at entry and exit points. Surveillance of processions and gatherings will be conducted via cameras.

The interior minister underscored adherence to a code of conduct and emphasized the security of mosques, ImamBargahs, and other places of worship. The meeting included briefings from police inspectors general and interior secretaries from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad on the Muharram peace plan.

Attending via video link were chief secretaries, police inspectors general, interior secretaries from all provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as commandants from the Frontier Constabulary and Frontier Corps Balochistan North-South, alongside senior law enforcement officials.