Christian Community celebrates Good Friday

ISLAMABAD: The Christian community is observing Good Friday today with solemnity and devotion; special services are being held in churches across Pakistan.

The community will celebrate Easter on Sunday with traditional religious fervour. Special prayers will be offered on Easter Sunday for national peace, prosperity, and the end of terrorism in Pakistan.

Tomorrow (Saturday) marks Easter Eve, when Christian families are expected to indulge in last-minute festive shopping.

Keeping the celebrations in view, traders have decided to keep shopping malls and markets open until 2am on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Punjab govt issues security directives for Good Friday and Easter celebrations

Traffic police have designated major commercial zones in Rawalpindi like Saddar and Commercial Market as one-way to manage crowd flow. Extra traffic personnel are also on duty to handle the rush.

To ensure security during the religious events, Rawalpindi and Islamabad police have finalised a comprehensive Easter security plan.

Over 4,000 personnel will be deployed across the cities. Police commandos will take charge at all churches from 7am on Easter Sunday, with heightened security already in place on Easter Eve.

The Punjab government has directed civil administration, police, and intelligence agencies to ensure strict security for the Christian community.

The home department has issued orders to divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, police officials, and the heads of Rescue 1122 and Civil Defence to convene divisional and district intelligence committee meetings. These meetings will assess potential threats and finalise foolproof security arrangements.

In a goodwill gesture, the federal and Punjab governments released April salaries and pensions early for all government employees.