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.