Govt decides to shutdown mobile, internet services ahead of PTI protest

Ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Islamabad march, the government has decided to suspend mobile internet services in Punjab, the Federal Capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from November 22.

Sources claimed that it will be a partial shutdown, which is expected “to affect several districts of Islamabad and all the said two provinces.”

“The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will activate the firewall on November 22 to suspend the services,” said sources.

The activation of a firewall slows down wifi and cellular data services while it also affects audio and video downloading in various applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

“In the light of the situation, internet and mobile services on specific destinations or areas would be closed,” according to the sources.

The decision was taken to forestall the PTI march towards Islamabad against the prolonged incarceration of founder Imran Khan, the 26th constitutional amendment, and elections 2024 results, which they described as “rigged elections”.

Apart from this, the Interior Ministry has awarded special powers to Rangers and Frontier Constabulary for maintaining law and order situation in the twin cities.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had decided to establish monitoring units to oversee the November 24 march to Islamabad, as the authorities in the federal capital have formulated a strategy to forestall the demonstrators. 

According to the sources, a 10-member unit will monitor the caravans, which will enter the federal capital from different cities of Punjab.