PESHAWAR: Pakistani police say gunmen riding on a motorcycle have opened fire on a car carrying a judge of the Peshawar High Court, wounding him and his driver before fleeing.
Senior police officer Wasim Riaz says Thursday’s incident took place in the Hayatabad neighborhood in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
No one has immediately claimed responsibility and Judge Mohammad Ayub is listed in critical condition at a hospital.
Peshawar is surrounded by lawless tribal regions that have served as a sanctuary for militants for decades.
Militants have targeted security forces there and elsewhere in the country but attacks on judges are rare.
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Pakistani judge critically wounded in gun attack in Peshawar
Pakistani judge critically wounded in gun attack in Peshawar
- Incident took place in the Hayatabad neighborhood in Peshawar
- Judge Mohammad Ayub is listed in critical condition at a hospital
Pakistan sells 480MHz for $507 million in 5G spectrum auction
- Mobile network operator Jazz buys 190 MHz, Ufone 180MHz and Zong 110MHz, says telecom authority chairman
- Most mobile networks in Pakistan currently operate on fourth-generation (4G) infrastructure, while 5G rollout has faced delays
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sold 480 megahertz (MHz) of fifth-generation (5G) telecom spectrum for $507 million, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed after a live auction on Tuesday, marking a key step toward introducing faster mobile broadband.
The live auction was organized by the PTA to determine which telecom operators would acquire the frequencies needed to deploy 5G mobile networks across Pakistan.
Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, is one of the world’s largest telecom markets by population, with over 190 million mobile phone users. However, most networks currently operate on fourth-generation (4G) infrastructure, and the rollout of 5G has faced delays in recent years due to regulatory, economic and spectrum-allocation challenges.
“In total out of 595 MHz, 480 MHz spectrum has been sold today,” PTA Chairman Hafeez-ur-Rehman said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a very big achievement and a big victory for Pakistan, in my opinion.”
Chinese mobile operator Zong bought 110 MHz of the 5G spectrum, while Ufone bought 180 MHz and Veon-backed firm Jazz bought 190 MHz, Rehman announced.
“And the price in total for this is $507 million,” the PTA chairman said.
According to officials, 5G services are expected to be rolled out first in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta cities, before expanding nationwide as network infrastructure develops.
Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja has previously said the government is also encouraging wider adoption of 5G-compatible devices, noting that about 95 percent of mobile phones used in
Pakistan are locally manufactured, while premium models such as iPhones and Google Pixel devices are imported.
Officials say Pakistan currently uses around 274 megahertz of spectrum, much of it allocated decades ago, while the new auction will make 600 megahertz of spectrum available for next-generation services.
Under the government’s rollout plan, telecom operators are expected to add roughly 3,000 new network sites annually to support the expansion of 5G services.
PTA officials say Pakistan currently offers some of the world’s cheapest mobile data services and have pledged that consumer protection will remain a priority as the country moves toward next-generation connectivity.
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