ISLAMABAD, JULY17: The government has put in place stringent measures to guarantee security during the solemn processions and gatherings on the tenth of Muharram, as Muharram observances continue throughout Pakistan.
Cell phone service would be unavailable nationally during the Muharram processions, according to sources who spoke with ProPakistani. In addition, internet connectivity will be suspended in the regions along Youm-e-Ashura’s main procession routes.
Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, the federal capital, and all four provinces would all be subject to the suspension. On the ninth and tenth of Muharram, the government intends to suspend internet and mobile service in Islamabad and other cities overnight. This will have an impact on many regions.
According to sources, internet and cellphone service would be unavailable in locations near Islamabad’s procession routes on 9 Muharram. These services would continue to be interrupted in Rawalpindi’s surrounding areas and along the procession routes on 10 Muharram. The purpose of this action is to guarantee the safety of the Muharram processions.
A comprehensive plan about the suspension has been issued by the Punjab Home Department, which makes it clear that no city in Punjab would see a complete cessation of mobile services. Rather, only the areas along the pathways of majlis and processions will see service suspensions.
On the ninth and tenth of Muharram, cellphone services in major cities such as Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal will be partially active. However, throughout these days, mobile services would be restored in places like Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, and Chiniot.
Due to security concerns, the governments of Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also asked that cellphone services be suspended on Ashura.
The administration of Balochistan has made the decision to halt internet and mobile service in a number of cities on Muharram 7, 9, and 10. A spokesman for the Balochistan home ministry stated that Quetta, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad, and Usta Muhammad will be impacted by this suspension.
