Mobile phone services to be suspended in some areas for Muharram security

KARACHI: The cellular services will be suspended in different cities of the province including Karachi from September 19 to 21 due to Muharram security.

According to reports, the mobile phone services will be suspended in areas particularly the routes of Ashura processions. The authorities are expected to suspend mobile services in cities including Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur and Hyderabad.

Reports quote Sindh home secretary as saying that the decision for not suspending the cellular services across cities was taken in order to facilitate people. Reports say the services will be switched off in areas along and close to the routes of processions from 7am to 12 midnight.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah  last week directed police and provincial administration to make foolproof security arrangements for Muharram.

“There is no chance of any untoward incident during the holy month of Moharram-ul-Harram as the government is taking strict security measures and implementing code of conduct,” said the chief minister while presiding over a high level meeting on law and order.

Home Secretary Kazi Kabir briefed the meeting about code of conduct for all the religious and other organisations for maintaining law & order during the month of Muharram-ul-Harram.

At this the chief minister directed the district administration and law enforcement agencies to ensure peace, tranquility and inter-sect harmony.

Secretary Home said that all the DIGs have been directed to assess and provide adequate security to notables till chehlum. He added that peace committee’s meetings were being held at all levels.

Additional IG Karachi Dr Ameer Shaikh told the meeting that that there were 1996 Imambargahs in the province, of them 356 were in Karachi, 590 Hyderabad division, 118 Mirpurkhas, 93 Shaheed Benazirabad, 374 Sukkur and 456 in Larakana division in the province. He added that there would be 3513 processions of them 319 have been categorized as most sensitive, 1059 sensitive and 2135 normal.

The meeting was told that out of 786 processions to be held all over Sindh, 11 were most sensitive, 312 sensitive and 463 normal. In order to provide complete security to the Muhartram processions, 69,545 policemen would be deployed.