Service suspension: Cell phones likely to go mute on eve of Eid
Rehman Malik says no banned outfit will be allowed to collect animal skins.
ISLAMABAD:
Cellular services are likely to be suspended on Eidul Azha in some of the sensitive areas of the country, including Karachi, Lahore, some parts of Balochistan and the tribal areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, an interior ministry official told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.
Services will be suspended from Friday night till Saturday, he added. The government of Sindh issued a notification on Tuesday announcing a public holiday from October 26 till 29.
On Eidul Fitr this year, cellular services were suspended across the country for one day, causing widespread inconvenience to consumers. Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said the services were suspended to avert untoward incidents.
Cellular services were also blocked in as many as 15 urban centres of the country on account of Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) Day on September 21. The suspension resulted in an estimated loss of Rs600 million to cellular service providers.
Meanwhile, Rehman Malik said on Tuesday that “fool-proof” security arrangements would be made on Eidul Azha and provincial governments have been asked to assign special duties to security personnel. He was speaking to journalists after chairing a meeting held to review the law and order situation for Eid.
He added a code of conduct had been finalised regarding the collection of hides of sacrificial animals. All organisations collecting skins will require a certificate issued by the district coordination officer (DCO) or district police officer (DPO) allowing them to do so.
He said banned outfits would not be allowed to carry out public activities such as collection of hides. “The groups proscribed under the Anti-terrorism Act will not be allowed to collect skins or donations under any other name either,” he added.
The minister said home secretaries have been asked to arrange a special video surveillance system to monitor collection of hides. (WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP)
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2012.
Cellular services are likely to be suspended on Eidul Azha in some of the sensitive areas of the country, including Karachi, Lahore, some parts of Balochistan and the tribal areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, an interior ministry official told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.
Services will be suspended from Friday night till Saturday, he added. The government of Sindh issued a notification on Tuesday announcing a public holiday from October 26 till 29.
On Eidul Fitr this year, cellular services were suspended across the country for one day, causing widespread inconvenience to consumers. Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said the services were suspended to avert untoward incidents.
Cellular services were also blocked in as many as 15 urban centres of the country on account of Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) Day on September 21. The suspension resulted in an estimated loss of Rs600 million to cellular service providers.
Meanwhile, Rehman Malik said on Tuesday that “fool-proof” security arrangements would be made on Eidul Azha and provincial governments have been asked to assign special duties to security personnel. He was speaking to journalists after chairing a meeting held to review the law and order situation for Eid.
He added a code of conduct had been finalised regarding the collection of hides of sacrificial animals. All organisations collecting skins will require a certificate issued by the district coordination officer (DCO) or district police officer (DPO) allowing them to do so.
He said banned outfits would not be allowed to carry out public activities such as collection of hides. “The groups proscribed under the Anti-terrorism Act will not be allowed to collect skins or donations under any other name either,” he added.
The minister said home secretaries have been asked to arrange a special video surveillance system to monitor collection of hides. (WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP)
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2012.