Mobile phone services suspended; security beefed up

E-Paper | July 04, 2026

KARACHI: In a bid to thwart any untoward terrorist incident on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, mobile phone services were suspended in most parts of Pakistan on Tuesday whereas security was beefed up in all major cities of the country, DawnNews reported.

Muslims across the country celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal, which falls on Tuesday, January 14 this year.

Over 100 Ulema, Mashaikh and scholars of the Sunni Ulema Board have urged people to maintain peace.

Cellular services in Karachi will remain suspended between 7am to 10pm while in other parts of Sindh province, mobile phones will remain silent from 7am to 9pm.

A ban on pillion-riding and carrying of weapons in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana has already been imposed by the Sindh government for five days to ensure security on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

The ban has been in place since Friday midnight and it would remain in force till Jan 15.

In Punjab, more than 12 cities have been declared sensitive where cellular services are likely to remain banned today. A ban on pillion-riding has been imposed in Islamabad for three days in this connection.

Mobile phone services will also be suspended in most parts of the militancy-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to go with a pillion-riding ban in Peshawar and a complete ban on motorcycle-riding in D. I. Khan.

Like other parts of the country, strict security measures have been taken in the troubled Balochistan province. Cellular phone services will remain suspended throughout the province on Tuesday.

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Ban on arms, pillion-riding

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ali ahmed

Jan 14, 2014 12:17pm

This is the result of short-sighted policies of our ruling elites who let cell phone connections sell like peace of cake. Today this has become an effective tool for carrying out terror attacks in this country. I am unable to understand what has prevented the government to take stern action against those mobile phone service providers who are selling their connection without proper documentation. Another difficult, and seemingly impossible, exercise is the verification of each and every cell phone connection. What is important is to ask cell phone users to present personally with original identity card if they want their service kept open. Without identification and biometric data gathering no old cell phone connection be renewed and new connection be given to the consumers. This exercise will lessen the chance of using cell phone sims for terrorism.

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gerry dcunha

Jan 14, 2014 02:30pm

I fail to understand in a country of 95% muslims who believe in prophet muhammed on his birth 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal have to beef security among its own muslims - surely there is something wrong somewhere in its true teaching - one could understand these security for muslims in a non-muslim country - muslims are more safer in a non-muslim country than their own country.

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