Karachi: Cellular phone services will remain suspended in many parts of Pakistan on Tuesday as the government beefed up security arrangements ahead of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the Birthday of the Holy Prophet Mohammad.
Hundreds and thousands of Muslims will celebrate and take out processions and hold special prayers when Rabi-ul-Awwal will be observed throughout the country.
The provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan have announced that cellular phone services will remain suspended from early morning to late night while a ban has already been imposed on pillon riding in Karachi and Quetta.
The government on advice of security agencies and law enforcement agencies have made it a practice to suspend mobile phone services on days when major religious congregations and events are held.
A security official said such measures were necessary as intelligence agencies had information about possible attacks on religious processions and congregations.
In April, 2006 atleast 50 people were killed including some prominent Sunni muslim leaders when a powerful bomb blast hit a Eid-Milad-un-Nabi congregation at Nishtar Park in Karachi on Rabi-ul-Awwal.
While in December, 2009 bomb blasts rocked Ashura processions of Shia muslims in the city in which at least 43 people were killed.
