Mobile phone services to remain partly suspended for two days of Ashura

Published September 9, 2019
The exact timings of the service shutdown have not been confirmed. — AFP/File
The exact timings of the service shutdown have not been confirmed. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The Pak­istan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Sunday said mobile phone services would remain suspended on the 9th and 10th of Muharram for security reasons in specified areas of all the cities across the country.

While the PTA did not confirm exact timings, the cellular services — particularly in areas through which processions pass — are expected to remain suspended from morning till 6pm on both days.

A senior official in the Ministry of Interior said that a specific notification had been issued by the government. Without naming localities, the official said cellular services in all the cities across Pakistan would be suspended in the areas identified and indicated by the district administrations and the police in their respective cities for the safety of mourners during processions.

The directions to kill both mobile and broadband services are passed down from the Ministry of Interior to the PTA, which ensures its implementation by passing on the orders to all the operators.

According to an official in the PTA, historically such instructions to suspend mobile phone services are issued at the last minute to ensure maximum security.

According to a list of sectors provided by the capital administration and the Islamabad police, mobile services will remain suspended in sectors G-6 and G-7, Blue Area, I-10 and Khyaban-i-Sir Syed, Rawalpindi on Monday and Tuesday.

While mobile phone services are also suspended in sectors G-9 and G-10, subscribers in Bari Imam may also face inconvenience due to the suspension of cell phone services on Ashura. These areas will remain out of cellular service on requests from the capital administration and Islamabad police to ensure security.

For the past few years, the authorities concerned have been suspending cellular services in the specific areas where Muharram processions are usually held, without disrupting the mobile phone services in other parts of the city.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

On the brink
Updated 25 Sep, 2023

On the brink

Everyone and every sector has to rise together, in sync, if this country is to put itself on a progressive trajectory.
Sanaullah’s remarks
25 Sep, 2023

Sanaullah’s remarks

THE hypocrisy of our democratic leadership is a gift that keeps giving. Last week, the president of the PML-N in...
Print in digital age
25 Sep, 2023

Print in digital age

THERE is a shocking amount of disinformation out there in the Information Age. While electronic and social media ...
World Cup squad
24 Sep, 2023

World Cup squad

THE stress was on continuity — trusting and backing players who had been with the team — as Pakistan’s squad...
Mirwaiz freed
Updated 24 Sep, 2023

Mirwaiz freed

It is safe to assume that the release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq could not have been possible without the green light from New Delhi.
Beyond lip service
24 Sep, 2023

Beyond lip service

UN SECRETARY GENERAL António Guterres did not mince words at the recently held Climate Ambition Summit: “Humanity...