The three-day Tablighi ijtima (mass congregation of Islamic preachers) will begin today (Thursday) at Raiwind.
Thousands of faithful have already reached the pindal (congregation site) to attend the proceedings of the first phase of the world’s second-largest Muslim congregation after Hajj. The Tablighi Jamaat a few years ago decided to hold the ijtima in two phases, dividing the participants of different cities into two groups. The congregation would end Sunday morning with a prayer for peace and prosperity.
The participants from within and outside the country would listen to the sermons by noted ulema and speakers and say prayers during the proceedings. Muslims from different countries could not attend the ijtima in the past two years due to Covid-19 situation but people from Indonesia, France, Spain, UK, Germany, Afghanistan, India and other countries would be arriving to take part in the event this year.
Although security of the pindal would be handled by the volunteers of the Tabligi Jamaat, a large number of security personnel have been deployed to ensure overall security for the congregation. Walkthrough gates, searchlights, CCTV cameras and police posts were set up around the Raiwind Markaz. Stop-and-search points have also been established at different points before the entry to the main pindal.
The city traffic police have prepared a comprehensive plan to tackle the traffic burden during the event. Traffic police have also established parking areas, which will be administered by the town municipal administration. Traffic police will block the flow of traffic from Lahore to Raiwind on Sunday. “More than 2,000 cops will remain on high alert during the congregation,” said DIG Operations Lahore Capt (retd) Sohail Chaudhry.
