ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Interior Saturday announced that cellular phone services at selected sensitive places throughout the country would be suspended during 9th and 10th of Muharramul Haram.
The ministry also said its central control room was working round the clock to monitor the security situation through the country during Muharramul Haram and it was in touch with the provincial governments as well as all intelligence agencies.
A statement issued by the ministry said that cellular phone services might also be jammed for limited timings only at selective sensitive locations for 9th and 10th of Muharram.
An official said the ministry had received recommendations from the provincial governments for the suspension of cellular phone services on 9th and 10th of Muharram in some sensitive districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. He further said that some districts of Punjab, including Jhang, Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah and Rawalpindi, had been declared sensitive while mobile phone services would also be suspended in Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi and other cities of the country.
The Ministry of Interior stated that 32,695 troops of army, Rangers, Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary and other civil armed forces had been deployed in 54 districts of the country to assist the provincial governments in maintaining law and order on the Muharram days. In addition to that, 12 helicopters have also been stationed in various areas for air support throughout the country.
The ministry said it was also in touch with the intelligence agencies and information regarding threats to any specific area was being passed on forthwith for timely action to prevent any untoward activity.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in a statement, said he had issued directions for maintaining high-level of alertness during the next few days. He further stated all Muharram-related activities were being monitored from the control room of the Ministry of Interior round the clock and the ministry was in continuous contact with the provinces to ensure maximum protection for the security of mourners and the general public.