The UAE News Report: Pakistan’s first free and fair elections started on Thursday (08.02.2024) without mobile and Internet services.
Pakistan’s interior ministry announced that the mobile phone and internet service provisionally be suspended amid the terrorism threats.
An interior ministry spokesperson said the decision had been taken after the latest terrorist acts carried out in the country – an obvious reference to Wednesday’s deadly blasts in Pishin and Killa Saifullah districts of Balochistan on the eve of the polling day.
The recent terrorist attacks have resulted in tragic loss of human lives, the spokesperson said and stressed that effective measures were required to main law and order as well as tackling the prevailing threats.
Earlier, the mobile phone and internet services were disrupted just a few minutes before the start of the polling in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Abbottabad and other parts of Pakistan.
As a result, the 8300 SMS service of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has also been suspended, which was helpful for voters to get info about their polling stations.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had ruled out the possibility of blocking the internet services after reports emerged about the impending move.
In his comments, Chief Election Commissioner Sultan Sikandar Raja said they won’t issue any instruction to the Ministry of Interior regarding the mobile phone and internet services.
Raja said reviewing and monitoring the law and order situation in Pakistan was a responsibility of the interior ministry and relevant agencies.
What would happen if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) orders restoring the telecommunication services and a terrorism activity is carried out, he asked why talking to reporters after reaching his offices in Islamabad.
However, the CEC said the move would not affect tabulating and finalising the results as Election Management System (EMS) wasn’t dependent upon internet.
