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.
Government pulls the plug on Internet and mobile phone services
Government pulls the plug on Internet and mobile phone services
- Measures in place in major Pakistani cities to ensure security for religious procession
- Interior Ministry orders suspension of network on request of all four provincial governments
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
