People walk along a street decorated for celebrations marking Eid Miladun Nabi (pbuh) in Lahore on January 14, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Mobile phone services, which had been suspended in several cities of the country for security reasons on the occasion of Eid Miladun Nabi, were restored on Tuesday evening, Express News reported.
Services were restored in Karachi, Quetta and Rawalpindi as soon as the processions drew to a close.
Eid Miladun Nabi, which takes place on Rabiul Awal 12, marks the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Sindh
In Sindh, cellular services had been suspended in 13 districts of the province including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas.
In Karachi services were suspended till 10pm. Over 20,000 policemen and 8,000 Rangers personnel have been deployed in the city. More than 290 processions have been organised from three zones of the city, while over 390 congregations will be held.
There is a backup force of 5,000 policemen in place for the central procession of Rabiul Awwal 12 and congregation at Nishtar Park, IGP Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch had earlier stated.
Pillion riding has also been banned in Karachi.
Balochistan
Mobile services were suspended in several cities of Balochistan including Quetta. In some areas mobile services will be restored as soon as the processions are over, however, services were largely restored shortly after 7pm.
Balochistan home secretary Asad Gillani had told The Express Tribune that cellular services would be suspended from 7am to 7pm.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)
In K-P, phone services were suspended at midnight on January 13. No time has been specified for their restoration. Security was beefed up in major cities, with law enforcers patrolling and identifying potentially volatile areas. The interior ministry had directed for seamless coordination between federal security agencies and provincial authorities.
Mobile services have been suspended in various cities of K-P including Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan.
In Peshawar, police chalked out a comprehensive security plan, under which over 5,000 policemen and security personnel have been deployed on procession routes. CCTV cameras and walkthrough gates were installed for people who want to join the processions. The district administration also imposed a ban on pillion riding.
Meanwhile, in Dera Ismail Khan, motorcycle riding has been banned altogether.
Twin cities
Pillion riding in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has also been banned. More than 6,000 personnel from the police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed to provide security to Eid Miladun Nabi processions in the twin cities.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Lala Gee: Whatever they teach you in madrasas can't hide the fact that your country is a global headache.
Jannat Mein Le Kar Jayegi Chahat Rasool Ki… Great example of Shia-Sunni unity was observed in Karachi.
@Dajjal: @Hari Om: @darbullah:
"Looks like muslims can celebrate their festivals peacefully only in countries where they are minorities. Once they become majority, the nation turns unsafe."
Simply because we have the most evil country and people in our neighbor. Look around and tell us which of your neighbors isn't suffering, or didn't suffer in the past, from your evilness? Moreover, there are over 50 Muslim majority countries in the world, which others have such problems and suspended mobile services on this eve? Luckily, the others are not in your neighborhood. Isn't that true? And one more thing, if the Muslim majority countries are so dangerous and unsafe, then why don't the Indians leave those countries where they feel no problem doing the cleaning jobs in order to feed their families back home, and then spit the venom of hate against them on this forum.
I recall on this day there were private mehfils, not the staged procession, making huge replicas of religious sites, wastage in form of spending on lighting, making cakes, etc.
Are we not going into rituals? Or is it OK to celebrate in such way?
I recall on this day there were private mehfils, and not the staged procession, making huge replicas of religious sites, wastage in form of spending on lighting, making cakes, etc.
Are we not going into rituals? Or is it OK to celebrate in such way?
And we live in a Country that claims itself to be Islamic. If someone is sick and wants a doctor, they cannot make a phone call for help. Amazing
Naam nihad Ulama ko doob marna chahiye bagher pani kay.
Shameful for the PMLN government which failed to control their own.
Why is it that an Islamic Republic like Pakistan routinely supposes that one sect or other of Muslims poses a “security threat” to another sect or other of Muslims on grounds solely rooted in the varying interpretation of Islam and institutes a host of measures like shutting down the mobile phone grid and banning pillion riding on the days major Muslim festivals are held?
Mobile phone services are also suspended in this part of Rawalpindi Cantt where I live.
The caption for the picture reads "A beautiful view of eliminated lights for Eid Miladun Nabi". You mean "illuminated", right?
Looks like muslims can celebrate their festivals peacefully only in countries where they are minorities. Once they become majority, the nation turns unsafe.
@tribune you changed the heading of this news after that comment :)