ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: Mobile phone service will be suspended in several cities and districts of the country from 8am to 11pm on Thursday as part of security plan for Chehlum.

The cities and towns where the service will be blocked include Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu.

The service will be suspended in 18 districts of Punjab, nine in Balochistan and six each in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said on Wednesday all cellphone companies had been informed about the decision taken by the ministry of interior.