PTA withdraws suspension of cellular services on polling day

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A Pakistani cellular phone user poses with his instruments having failed to make a call following the suspension of mobile phone services. — Photo by AFP/File

KARACHI:The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has withdrawn a notice issued earlier to suspend mobile phone services across the Sindh province for polling day on May 11, DawnNews reported.

In a bid to thwart any terrorist plans of sabotaging the peaceful polling process, the Sindh government earlier on Friday evening issued a notice to suspend cellular phone services across the province including the capital Karachi in the wake of historic May 11 elections.

The PTA was directed to “gradually” suspend mobile phone services in Sindh including Karachi, the financial and economical hub of Pakistan.

The gradual suspending of the services was to start from Friday evening and expected till end of polling process at 5 pm on Saturday.

Cellular phone services have also been suspended in the past as a precautionary security measure.

More than 110 people have already been killed by the outlawed Pakistani Taliban across the country since April 11.

The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had vowed to target electioneering of three political parties of the country for having secular views, naming PPP, MQM and ANP.

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