(Web Desk) — As Muharram observances proceed across Pakistan, the government has enforced stringent security measures for the solemn processions and gatherings on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.
According to sources from ProPakistani, cellular phone services will be suspended nationwide during the Muharram processions, with internet services also halted along the main procession routes on Youm-e-Ashura.
The suspension will be implemented in the federal capital, all four provinces, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan. Specific details indicate that mobile and internet services will be suspended in Islamabad and several cities tonight, impacting different regions on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.
On the 9th of Muharram, mobile and internet services will be suspended in areas along procession routes in Islamabad, while on the 10th of Muharram, these suspensions will extend to procession routes and adjacent areas in Rawalpindi. This measure aims to ensure the security of the Muharram processions.
The Punjab Home Department has outlined a detailed plan for the suspension, specifying that mobile services will not be completely halted in any city of Punjab. Instead, services will be suspended selectively along procession routes and majlis areas.
Key cities like Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal will experience partially operational mobile services on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. In contrast, cities including Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, and Chiniot will have restored mobile services during these days.
Similarly, 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.
Additionally, the Balochistan government has decided to suspend mobile and internet services in various cities on the 7th, 9th, and 10th of Muharram, affecting Quetta, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad, and Usta Muhammad, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Balochistan home ministry.
