The foolproof security and administrative arrangements by the Ittehad-e-Bain-ul-Muslimeen (IBM) Committee Punjab have been finalized to maintain law and order and promote sectarian harmony during Muharram-ul-Haram 1448 AH. In this regard, a high-level meeting was held at the Durbar Hall of the Civil Secretariat, chaired by Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, to solidify all security matters ensuring absolute peace during the holy month. During the session, the Senior Provincial Minister issued directives to convene the IBM Committee Punjab meetings regularly every three months.
This crucial meeting was attended by provincial ministers, top security officials, and eminent religious scholars representing all schools of thought. Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif addressed the forum via a special video link to review the Muharram arrangements, directing that open manholes must be sealed immediately and the presence of field hospitals ensured along the procession routes. The Chief Minister emphasized that the police and other relevant departments must perform their duties with utmost responsibility and courtesy toward citizens, urging the public to fully cooperate with the administration to ensure tranquility.
She reaffirmed that every possible effort would be made to maintain law and order, and the security of majalis and procession routes would be guaranteed at all costs. She instructed the administration to remain present in the field, set up cold water and sherbet stalls along the routes, keep all control rooms fully operational, and utilize state-of-the-art technology for security. Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, along with Provincial Ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique and Bilal Yasin, stressed that safeguarding sectarian harmony is a collective national duty, asserting that all institutions will remain vigilant and no miscreant or divisive narrative will be allowed to disrupt public peace.
The religious scholars were also urged to utilize the pulpit and niche to promote brotherhood, tolerance, patience, and inter-Muslim solidarity. Briefing the meeting, Secretary/Chief Administrator Auqaf Punjab Dr. Ehsan Bhutta informed that foolproof security measures have been enforced at all major shrines and mosques across the province, maintaining a round-the-clock liaison with law and order agencies and divisional administrations. He lauded the efforts of the three specific IBM groups of scholars, the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Law and Order (SCCLO), Home Secretary Dr. Ahmed Javed Qazi, Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, Industries Minister Chaudhry Shafi Hussain, and the divisional administration for visiting all divisional headquarters and conducting coordination meetings with local peace committees to strengthen harmony.
Furthermore, Dr. Ehsan Bhutta highlighted the issuance of “Azaazia Cards” for imams of all schools of thought and detailed 48 mega infrastructure schemes under the Auqaf Department’s ongoing shrine development program, which includes large-scale upgrades of shrines like Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA), Hazrat Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (RA), Hazrat Bibi Pak Daman (RA), Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah (RA), and others to provide premium facilities to pilgrims and preserve Punjab’s spiritual heritage. At the conclusion of the meeting, the final resolution was presented by Maulana Nadeem Mukhtar, the Khatib of Data Darbar Mosque, and was signed by all religious scholars of the IBM Committee Punjab.
