Government pulls the plug on Internet and mobile phone services

ISLAMABAD: Internet and mobile phone services will remain suspended in major cities across Pakistan on Tuesday as part of security measures in place for the chehlum or religious procession to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.
Authorities in Pakistan have beefed up security arrangements for the day, given the history of sectarian violence on such occasions in the country, with hospitals placed on standby to deal with any untoward incidents.
The Ministry of Interior said it had instructed the suspension of GPRS facilities and Internet and cellular phone services upon the requests of the four provincial governments and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration. The services, however, will be operational as usual in Islamabad.
A number of cities from the Punjab province will be impacted by the suspension, including Lahore, Nankana, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Narowal, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Sargodha, Khushab, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan and Rahim Yar Khan.
Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan and parts of AJK including Bagh, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Haveli, and Kotli will also have the said services disconnected during the day, while in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Nowshera, Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad districts will be impacted.
Other cities to be affected include Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jaccobabad, Khairpur, Larkana, and Shikarpur in Sindh which will be devoid of these facilities, according to a notification by the provincial home department.