Mobile services suspended in 80 cities
LAHORE: Mobile phone services were suspended in 80 sensitive cities on the occasion of the 9th of Muharram and will be suspended again on Ashura, the 10th of Muharram, which will be observed today (Friday) with traditional religious solemnity and fervour amid tight security to ward off terror fears.
Despite the recent violent incidents in Karachi, Gujranwala, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country, the faithful are fully prepared to keep up the traditional religious devotion on Ashura to commemorate the sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions at Karbala in 61 AH, some 14 centuries ago.
On Thursday, the 9th of Muharram, the mourning activities reached their peak as various Zuljinnah, Alam and Tazia processions were taken out from different parts of the country.
The residents of the buildings along the routes of the processions have been barred from opening their windows and going to the roofs but women and children have been allowed to watch the processions from windows.
Mobile phone services remained suspended in 80 sensitive cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Chakwal, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Jhang, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Rahimyar Khan, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Pakpattan, Khairpur, Sehwan, Nawabshah, Larkana Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Hangu, Lakki Marwat and Bannu.
Sources say the mobile phone service will also blocked on the routes of Muharram processions in specific cities.
The Sindh and Balochistan governments wrote letters to the federal government requesting the blocking of mobile phone services in Quetta and five cities of Sindh on Yaum-e-Ashur. The Sindh government had mailed requests for closure of mobile phone services on 9th and 10th of Muharram.
The Balochistan government had requested the federal government via mail to close the mobile phone service in Quetta.
Our Hangu correspondent adds: Curfew was clamped in Hangu and Bannu districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday as part of security arrangements besides the suspending cellular phone network and continuing aerial surveillance of these areas.
Local sources said the administration suspended the mobile phone service and sealed all the entry and exit points in Bannu and Hangu. They said the police and security forces also continued aerial surveillance and checking of vehicles and frisking of people to ensure the peaceful observance of Ashura.
Talking to reporters, Deputy Commissioner Hangu Said Ahmed Jan said all arrangements were in place for foolproof security and stern action would taken against those creating a law and order situation.
He said personnel of the police, Frontier Constabulary, Pak Army and Frontier Corps had been deployed at the entry and exit points of the city.
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