With by-elections scheduled for tomorrow across 22 constituencies in Pakistan, the provincial government of Punjab has urged the federal Interior Ministry to suspend mobile and internet services in the affected districts and tehsils as a precautionary measure.
The request, outlined in a letter from Punjab’s home department, underscores the significance of maintaining public order and preventing potential disruptions. It comes as these regions prepare for by-polls, occurring over two months after the nationwide general elections on February 8.
According to the letter, the suspension of mobile phone and internet services is requested for the cities of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sadiqabad, Kot Chutta, and Dera Ghazi Khan. Additionally, service suspensions are sought in the tehsils of Talagang, Chakwal, Kallar Kahar, Gujrat, Ali Pur Chatha, Zafarwal, and Bhakkar city.
Copies of the letter have been dispatched to key officials, including the Punjab chief secretary, the inspector general, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and other relevant authorities.
Despite assurances from the government regarding uninterrupted network connectivity, mobile internet services were disrupted on February 8. Services were “temporarily” cut off even before 8 am, the official start time for voting.
By-elections are scheduled to occur tomorrow across approximately two dozen constituencies in both the National and provincial assemblies.
Specifically, the by-polls will encompass at least five seats in the National Assembly, 12 in the Punjab Assembly, two seats each in the assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and one in the Sindh legislature.
In Punjab, the upcoming by-polls will include the constituencies of NA-132 (Kasur) and NA-119 (Lahore), which were previously held by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, respectively.
