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The Cabinet Division of the federal government on Thursday announced public holidays nationwide for the 9th and 10th of Muharram (July 28 and 29) to mark the occasion of Ashura.
“The Prime Minister is pleased to declare 28th to 29th July, 2023 (Friday and Saturday) as public holidays on the occasion of Ashura (9th and 10th Muharram 1445 AH),” read a notification issued by the Cabinet Division.
Separately, a notification issued by the Interior Ministry said the government had approved the deployment of armed forces nationwide to ensure security during Muharram. It said authorities in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir had sought the deployment of the military to control the law and order situation during the holy month amidst a resurgence of terrorism.
In light of this, read the notification, the center had authorized the “deployment of Army troops/assets and civil armed forces troops/assets” under Article 245 of the Constitution to ensure peace. It said the exact number of troops and their area of deployment would be determined by local authorities.
Earlier, the Sindh Government had announced it was imposing Section 144 to ban the carrying of arms/ammunition of all types. It said it was also banning the misuse of loudspeakers and warned the public against displaying objectionable and provocative posters, banners, leaflets and wall chalking. It had similarly banned people from crowding rooftops while mourning processions was passing by their areas, and had also banned any processions without prior permission.