ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone and data services are likely to be suspended in Islamabad and several cities of Punjab on Sunday.

The interior ministry said in a statement on Saturday that a decision about shutting down mobile services and WiFi would be taken based on feedback from district administrations.

On Saturday, citizens were already facing problems while accessing the Instagram app and sending and receiving voice messages and images on WhatsApp.

The authorities have also started suppressing the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) through mobile data. All WhatsApp services, X and some other social media apps stand suspended on mobile sets where VPNs operate on mobile data.

Sources added that the mobile and data services would be suspended in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Islamabad on Sunday morning.

The Pakistan Telecommu­ni­cation Authority (PTA) has yet to intimate the four telcos operating in the country — Jazz, Ufone, Zong and Telenor — about any shutdown plan in the run-up to the PTI’s showdown.

“The situation is similar to the general election day in February this year,” said a senior executive of one of the telcos. “It’s likely that all digital systems are stopped any time.”

At the same time, the executive added, it’s likely that the interior ministry would forward a request by the district administration of any region to the PTA, which issues directives to telecom companies.

Another mobile company executive said there could be a partial suspension of internet and mobile services in Islamabad.

At the same time, it is expected that landline telephone numbers and WiFi connections will not be suspended.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2024