The interior ministry decided in principle on Sunday to block mobile phone services in 77 districts of the country on the Eid day and also sought security plans from the provinces.
According to interior ministry sources, the provinces have been directed to inform the center about security arrangements at their respective sensitive, extremely sensitive and normal areas, especially at jails and other vulnerable points.
The information has been sought to avoid any negligence in terms of security and in the backdrop of terror threats on Eid day.
Provincial home secretaries and IGs have been given special directives to ensure implementation of SOPs issued for the security of specific sensitive points. Increasing the number of security officials on Eid in Islamabad and provinces has also been advised by the interior ministry.
Meanwhile, the interior ministry has decided in principle to block mobile phone services in 77 districts of the country on the Eid day.
Mobile phone services will remain blocked from 05:00 am to 12:00 pm in all the districts except Karachi where the services will be restored at 01:00 pm.
The provinces have been directed to make foolproof security arrangements on the Eid day. These security arrangements are being made on the report of security agencies which warned terror threats to 77 districts including 21 in Punjab, 20 in Sindh, 10 in Balochistan and 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A high-level meeting will also be held on Wednesday in the interior ministry where the decision about blockage of mobile phone services in other cities will be decided according to the reports from the provinces.
In the wake of likely terror attacks, the district administration Peshawar has also started implementing security plan chalked out to maintain law and order on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitar.
Per plan, additional check posts have been established in different areas of the city besides deployment of more security personnel at all previous and new check posts.
Deployment and patrolling of civil-dressed police personnel at public and over-crowded places has been ensured to keep a watch on miscreants.
Under the traffic plan, there will be ban on entry of certain types of vehicles in cantonment and intercity during certain times – Eid prayer timings – while some of the roads have also been declared one-way.
Peshawar Division Commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Anees said terror attacks on Eid could not be ruled out.
