Mobile and Internet Services to Shut Down Across Pakistan During Ashura

As Muharram observances continue across Pakistan, the government has implemented strict measures to ensure security during the solemn processions and gatherings on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

Sources told ProPakistani that cellular phone services will be suspended nationwide during the Muharram processions. Additionally, internet services will be halted in areas along the main procession routes on Youm-e-Ashura.

The suspension will be enforced in the federal capital and all four provinces, as well as in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. The government plans to issue the suspension of mobile and internet services in Islamabad and various cities tonight, affecting different regions on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

Sources indicate that on 9 Muharram, mobile and internet services will be suspended in areas along the procession routes in Islamabad. On 10 Muharram, these services will remain suspended in the procession routes and adjacent areas in Rawalpindi. This measure aims to ensure the security of the Muharram processions.

The Punjab Home Department has announced a detailed plan regarding the suspension, specifying that mobile services will not be completely halted in any city of Punjab. Instead, services will be suspended only in areas along the routes of processions and majlis.

Key cities, including Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal, will have partially operational mobile services on 9 and 10 Muharram. In contrast, cities like Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, and Chiniot will have restored mobile services during these days.

The governments of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan have also requested the suspension of mobile services on Ashura due to security concerns.

The Balochistan government has decided to suspend mobile and internet services in various cities on 7, 9, and 10 Muharram. This suspension will affect Quetta, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad, and Usta Muhammad, according to a spokesperson from the Balochistan home ministry.