Karachi (September 29, 2017): Service of cellular phones were switched off in different areas of the city on Friday morning.
Though there was no formal announcement to suspend the mobile phones services from PTA, the citizen stopped receiving mobile phone signals from Friday morning.
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By noon, mobile phones services in most areas of the city were suspended. 
Mobile services are suspended every year during Ashura as part of the security measures.
According to a letter sent by the Sindh government’s Home Department to the interior ministry and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), dated September 21, the provincial authorities had requested the federal government to place a ban on mobile services/internet in major cities of Sindh on the 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram.
The Sindh Home Department had requested blockage of cellular services in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur and Jacobabad on 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram.
Although the Sindh government had requested suspension of mobile services on Friday along routes of processions, Karachiites on social media said they were not receiving signals even in areas which are not in the path of the procession route.
Though containers are blocking the roads to many schools in the city on Friday, the Sindh government has not declared it a holiday. Instead, Saturday and Sunday have been declared public holidays throughout the province.
According to a notification issued on Thursday, all schools, colleges, offices, autonomous, semi-autonomous bodies, corporations and local councils under the administrative control of the government of Sindh except for essential services will observe holidays on 9th and 10th Muharram.
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