Mobile Phone Services to Remain Blocked During Qadri’s Long March

Mobile Services BlockedPakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed all cellular service providers to keep cellular and wireless services blocked in the vicinity of Long March of Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri.

The long march of the Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran, which has been dubbed as the ‘democracy march’ by  Dr Tahirul Qadri is on the way from Lahore to Islamabad.

It is said that Long March may take more than 36 hours to reach its destination, while several stays are expected along the way.

PTA directive said that cellular services will remain blocked on the route of long march throughout its way to Islamabad. Directive said that cellular operators will be  responsible to curtail the spillover signals from all cell phone towers in vicinities of the long march so that to ensure closure in its true letter and spirit .

Currently, the services are suspended in below mentioned areas of Lahore:

  •  Model Town
  • New Campus
  • Ichhra Bridge
  • Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam
  • Dharampura, Garhi Shaho
  • Noulakha Chowk
  • Do Moria Pull
  • Minar-e-Pakistan
  • Ravi Bridge
  • Shahdra Mor
  • Imamia Colony

Mobile phone services in these areas will remain blocked till further orders by the regulator. It is expected that mobile phone services will be blocked — with time — throughout GT Road. Early reports suggest that mobile phone services will be blocked on following routes:

  • Shahdara to Rawat (GT Road)
  • Rawat Link road to Faizabad, Rawalpindi (Islamabad Highway)
  • Faizabad, Rawalpindi to Blue Area, Islamabad

Long March

This cellular suspension was hinted by some corners due to security threats that are imminent during this Long March. As always, Government has adopted this unusual way to tackling terrorism by blocking mobile phone service.

It is said that suspension of mobile phone services will further hinder the management and organization of Long March, which is already undergoing severe blockade by provincial and federal governments.

Dr. Tahirul Qadri has already expressed his reservations over the decision and said that hundred of thousands of long march participants are unable to co-ordinate due to service suspension. He said that there are participents who went missing due to radio silence.

Dr. Qadri has demanded the immediate restoration of mobile phone services.

Service Suspension in Karachi:

In a related news, mobile phone services in Clifton, Karachi, are to remain blocked for three hours from 7 PM to 10 PM today. Directive said that Interior Ministry has advised to keep the services suspended in Clifton for security reasons.

Update (11:00 PM)

Mobile services in Karachi are reportedly restored.

Update (11:45 PM)

We are getting reports that Mobile Phone services on GT road — till Jehlum/Gujar Khan — are being blocked.

Update (02:45 PM – Jan 14th, 2013)

Cellular services are likely to get blocked in larger number of regions that we earlier thought. Current reports suggest that whole of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will see cellular suspension. Chakwal and Attock may get into the loop as well. Such large scale mobile phone service suspension — in cities far away from the long march procession — hints that cellular suspension is aimed at hurdling Long March instead of terrorism threats.

Update (12:30 AM – Jan 15th, 2013)

While Dr. Tahirul Qadri has reached Blue Area, Islamabad — considered to be the destination for the long March — mobile services in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are down for over 12 hours. Exact time for restoration of cellular services is still unclear.

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


  • Hahahahah!! Its going regular now. Keep it up PTA and Rehman Malik (Minister of Forecasting bomb blasts)!!! They cant do anything but to irritate people like that!

  • i will not blame rehman malik completely for this .

    everyone knows the performance of our security forces . they cant stop anything ….simply anything .

      • why dont you go to quetta and save people why dont your ______ malik _______ stopped there?

      • dude army is already being killed like ____ by NATO, Pak army is nothing more than a _____ for foreign forces. Who take wages from the taxpayer money and can’t even give a minimul protection to its own people.

        • Have some respect dude for the army who are sacrificing there lives for you and for the people of pakistan. Please don’t use abusive words

    • And under whom these security forces work???? If the Incharge/ officer is not performing his duty well then how could the men under him give performance?

      • if this is the case then you shouldn’t be blaming Police for their bad performance.
        everyone is somewhat responsible for its own performance even if its working under someone
        no one has stopped security forces to perform good but they cant….

    • go home zain you r drunk… dont you know all that forces are under mr rehman malik!!!!!

    • Mr.Zain our army is perfect,They can do anything,our government is corrupt,they give permission to NATO,Black water to come our country,Now if army wants to say anything to zardari tab humara bhutto zinda hojata hai….agr army na kuch kar sakti hoti to america india kab ka apkay sir pe beth chuka hota

  • because we shouldnt be wanting a repeat of quetta attacks on long march also, it is more prudent to suspend mobile service for one or two days than to risk the lives of thousands.

  • who cares about terrorist or security …. all i want my cellular signals back …… security reason … hell with it …. 56 years old craps just taking different shapes …. this reason that reason ….. democracy marshal law …… mushraf`s time was best …. no one was complaining ……. now .. no electricity no petrol no cng …… no sui gas ….. no mobile network signals ….. great nation and great politicians …..

    • Here we have to blame ourselves too, because the people among us chose and selected these assembly (MNAs & MPAs)

  • Causality

    If an event yields
    benefits, those benefits would most certainly lead us to the one or ones
    who are responsible for the event. How? Would you orchestrate an
    event to benefit someone other than yourself?

    Since the
    Oklahoma bombing the Government has gotten more control and power over
    the people it governs then in any point in history. So much so, that
    one would have to ask, “Are ‘We the People’ victims of Causality?”

    This attack upon our civil liberties isn’t something that started
    recently. In fact, it began long before your Great Great Grand Parents
    were even born.

    • copying and pasting from some lame american “patriot” blog?? we did not have oklahoma bombing, and our country isn’t old enough for most people to have great great grand parents born in it.

  • I know this is off topic but I’d like to ask the staff and admin of ProPakistani.pk along with PP’s readers to PLEASE inform us about what is happening on the incoming intl. calling tax front. It’s been weeks since we last read here on ProPak that PTA has asked LDI ops to decrease the tariff but so far, we are still paying the high rates.

  • All those yankees saying that “It doesn’t happen anywhere in the world that mobile services & internet gets blocked”, I simply say that duniya mei aise dehshatgardi b kahin nhii hoti, aur itni beghairat qaum bhi dunia mei kahin nhii hoti jahan aik taraf lashen girr rahin hon, bam phat rahe hain hon, chief ministers aur governors murder ho rhe hon, primary schools pe attack ho rahe hon aur doosri taraf beghairat awam ko sms aur calls ki fikar pari ho. Baari baari, sab ki baari aarhi hai, her sect, her class aur her religion ko target kia ja rha hai aur tmhe apni phone calls ki fikar hai….Lanat hai aise sab sb per, FITTAY MUNHH

    Secondly wall-street protests aur London protest ki history check kr k dekh lo, mobile services aur facebook & everthing was blocked for 3 days…

    I know my comment will burns the whole digestive systems of many “extra patriotic” goons, the super “educated ones”, & the extra “liberal class”. They will collectively attack on me but I must say that I have no doubt that mentally, we are the most retarded Nation of the world!!!!!!!!!

  • Faisal town Lahore main tub network band howa jub kafila yahan say ja chuka tha (at 5:45PM) aur yeh subha sava 7 khula ha

  • yar in sab ko chor
    LDI Operators Charge Pre-ICH Rates for International Incoming Calls is case ka kuch kro
    umer


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >