ISLAMABAD: In line with the government’s security plan for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammad pbuh birthday), mobile phone services will be suspended in around 60 cities and towns of the country on Friday, DawnNews reported.

On the directives of interior ministry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will enforce the suspension of all cellular phone companies from 8 am till 6 pm on Jan 25.

According to sources in PTA, 18 districts of Punjab, one each in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and seven districts in Sindh will face the blockage.

The major cities where the service will be blocked include Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sargodha, Bahawalpur and Hyderabad.

Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said the provincial governments requested the federal government for the suspension of mobile phone services.

Meanwhile, pillion riding will also be banned in some parts of the country on the occasion of 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal.