Pakistan to suspend mobile service in high risk areas on "Eid" day

Pakistan will temporarily suspend mobile phone service on the first day of Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha over militants' threats of attacks on Saturday, the country's Interior Minister said Friday. Rehman Malik said that the mobile services will be suspended in what he called high risk areas from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. local time on "Eid Day" on Saturday. The decision will badly affect millions of cell phone users who send Eid greetings on the first day and routinely in the beginning of the day. In view of severe criticism at the decision, the Interior Minister clarified that mobile service will not be suspended throughout the country. Malik told reporters in Islamabad that the mobile service will be suspended in more than 10 main cities in the country's four provinces but he did not disclose names of the areas. He said the decision to suspend cell phone service was taken after reports of security threats from the provincial governments and the intelligence agencies. He said that the decision was taken after receiving credible threats to national security, while showing letters from provincial governments who requested for the suspension. The minister added that the government in southern Sindh province of which Karachi is the capital had requested him to suspend services almost everywhere in the province but he refused to do so, saying that only the areas with security concerns were considered. Citing security reasons, the minister said that he will not immediately reveal the names of the specific areas where services will be blocked and the names will only be released later. It is the second time the government will suspend cell phone service in parts of the country. The service was suspended in some cities last month on a protest day against a U.S.-made blasphemous movie which prompted violent protests in Pakistan.