Cellular services partially restored across Pakistan: Interior Ministry

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry on Thursday announced that mobile phone services have been partially restored in parts of the country as the nation waits for results of all-important elections 2024.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the ministry said cellular services have been restored in Bhakkar, Sargodha, Taxila, Gujar Khan Chakri, Loralai, Sibi, Jhal Magsi and all of Sindh except Malir and Karachi.

درج ذیل علاقوں میں موبائل سروس جزوی طور پر بحال کر دی گئی ہے:
بھکر، سرگودھا، رالپنڈی ڈویژن: ٹیکسلا، گوجر خان چکری،، بلوچستان: لورالائی، سبی، جھل مگسی
سندھ: پورے صوبے سوائے ملیر اور کراچی کے#Elections2024

— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) February 8, 2024

In another post, the ministry said mobile phone services would soon be restored nationwide.

Earlier in the day, the ministry said mobile phone and internet services were suspended across Pakistan to maintain law and order situation in election 2024.

“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats, hence the temporary suspension of mobile services across the country,” the interior ministry said in a message on X.

A daylong polling process concluded on Thursday for the General Election 2024 overall in a peaceful manner, with active participation from all age group voters who came out in droves to elect candidates of their choice.

The polling started simultaneously across the country at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any break to provide maximum time to citizens to exercise their right to vote enshrined in the constitution.

The voters present in the premises of the polling stations at the poll-ending time were allowed to cast their votes, said a spokesperson for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

According to the ECP, over 128 million registered voters were scheduled to exercise their democratic right by casting votes for candidates participating in elections for the national and provincial legislatures.

The polling was held for 265 seats of the National Assembly and 590 seats of provincial assemblies. The voting took place on 51 seats of the Balochistan Assembly, 128 out of 130 seats of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 296 out of 297 seats of the Punjab Assembly and 130 seats of the Sindh Assembly.

The polling was held in 855 constituencies out of 859 however due to the death of the candidate, voting will not be held in NA 8, PP 266, PK 22 and PK 91.

Cellular services partially restored: Interior Ministry