Uninterrupted cellular service in twin cities during OIC summit: PTA

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday announced that mobile phone services will remain available in Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the next three days despite the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit due to be held in the capital on December 19.

The clarification came after a few media reports suggested that the mobile services will remain suspended over the weekend in the twin cities.

Earlier today, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had also announced that mobile phone services would not be suspended during the summit.

The minister, while talking to the media in Islamabad, said there would be a local holiday on Saturday and Sunday in the federal capital.

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Rashid expressed confidence that the extraordinary session of the OIC would play a "historic role" in averting the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis. The OIC conference will play a historic role in extending assistance and giving the attention which Afghanistan deserves.”

The minister said that all credit for holding the OIC’s extraordinary session went to the incumbent government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Also read: OIC FM moot on Dec 19 after 41 years

“Earlier, almost 40 years ago, we [Pakistan] had hosted the OIC conference on Afghanistan, and now this initiative has been taken by the present government to discuss the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country," he added.

Rashid said that foolproof security arrangements were made to ensure smooth conduct of the moot, being attended by the delegates and foreign ministers from 57 countries.