RAWALPINDI/Islamabad: The metro bus and mobile phone services will remain suspended today (Saturday) as part of security measures for the Pakistan Day parade.

The bus service will not be available till 4pm while mobile service will go off from 5am till noon.

For the last two days, the metro bus service has remained partially suspended and its operation limited to Saddar-Faizabad section.

Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) Rawalpindi-Islamabad Operation Manager Shumaila Mohsin told Dawn that the district administration had directed suspension of the bus service partially for two days and completely on Pakistan Day.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said the directives to suspend mobile service came from the interior ministry.

“Details are not being shared about the range of the mobile phone service suspension. It is, however, expected that cellular phones and broadband services will remain suspended throughout the twin cities,” the PTA official said.

Cellular companies also confirmed that they would turn off their towers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on March 23.

Unlike last year, an official in one of the mobile companies said that services would be completely down. Last year, on March 23 and later on August 14, internet services were also suspended along with cellular signals.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2019