Cellular services will remain partially suspended in several districts of Punjab on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to a home department spokesperson, the mobile services will remain active in 17 districts, including Lahore.
The other districts where the services will not be affected are Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara and Chiniot.
The services will be partially suspended in Gujranwala, Narowal, Toba Tek Singh, Bhakkar, Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, Rajanpur, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Dera Ghazi Khan and Jhang.
According to the department, it has been recommended that that the cellular services should be suspended only in the areas surrounding the routes and venues of Ashura processions and Majalis for security reasons.
The spokesman clarified that the cellular services will not be completely suspended in any city.
The partial suspension of mobile signals will continue from 8am till 10pm on Muharram 9 and 10 along the procession routes and areas of Majalis in the selected districts only.
The spokesperson added that the cellular network services will be suspended at 28 locations in Rawalpindi, 15 in Rahim Yar Khan and 11 each in Mianwali and Bahawalpur.
The services will remain suspended at 10 places in Layyah, seven in Muzaffargarh and six in Nankana Sahib.
On Sunday, mobile services were partially suspended in some areas of Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Jhang, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar.
The spokesperson of the Punjab Home Department said that the decision to partially suspend cellular network services at certain places had been taken to maintain law and order and ensure citizens’ protection.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar said that 3,937 Majalis and 1,366 mourning processions were organised across Punjab on Monday.
A spokesman for the police said 54,696 personnel were deployed for the protection of the Muharram events.
They included more than 26,000 personnel for the security of Majalis in all districts and over 30,000 for processions. The traffic police, Counter-Terrorism Department, Special Branch, Dolphin Force and volunteers also performed security duties.
The spokesman said 416 Majalis were organized in the provincial capital, of which 44 were categorised as A-category. Over 8,000 personnel performed security duties for the gatherings.
The IGP directed the regional and district police officers to oversee the Muharram security arrangements, stressing vigilance without compromise on the security of gatherings, processions and citizens.
He ordered continuous monitoring of the security arrangements through control rooms and CCTV cameras, ensuring real-time oversight during Majalis and processions.
The IGP emphasised the importance of foolproof security measures on Muharram 9 and 10.
The home department also obtained certificates of complete security preparedness from all deputy commissioners of Punjab.
According to a report, CCTV cameras have been installed on procession routes across Punjab and control rooms have been established for live monitoring. The live feeds from the cameras are connected to the department’s central control room.
The district administrations and police have completed inspections of the procession routes throughout Punjab and law enforcement agencies have been fully deployed for all gatherings and processions.
With additional input from APP
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