Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday restored cellular services in four major cities, including Lahore and Karachi, after briefly suspending them to prevent terrorist attacks with bombs triggered by mobile phones.
Millions of people in Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Quetta were unable to use their mobile phones from 8 pm on Sunday as cellular operators suspended all services in most parts of these cities on the directions of the Interior Ministry.
Though some services were restored in parts of these cities early this morning, they were again suspended between 7 am and 10 am as special prayers for Eid-ul-Fitr were held across the country. All services were restored by this afternoon.
The move was criticised by people across Pakistan, who said they were unable to wish friends and relatives on the occasion of Eid. Many Pakistanis took to social networking sites to criticise Malik and the suspension of mobile services, saying people would be unable to contact police or rescue services in any emergency.
“We have done it to stop bombings using mobile phones,” Malik said during an interaction with reporters when he made a surprise inspection of security at a market in Islamabad late last night. He said the Interior Ministry had made arrangements to suspend cellular services in Islamabad too in the event of any emergency. “The objective of the Pakistan government is to save lives. There will be some inconvenience due to the lack of mobile services but I will request the people to bear with it,” he said.
Cellular company sources confirmed they were asked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block services in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Quetta. (PTI)