islamabad:
Pakistan’s caretaker interior minister, Dr. Gohar Ejaz, said on Tuesday that the caretaker interior minister would consider cutting off internet connectivity on Thursday’s voting day only if requested by a district or province.
“So far, there have been no decisions regarding the suspension of internet services anywhere. The transitional government will only consider suspending internet connections if requested,” News International quoted him as saying. It was reported.
Dr. Gohar Ejaz addressed the press conference together with Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi.
Dr. Gohar Ejaz’s announcement is significant because just the day before, Murtaza Solangi had ruled out the possibility of an internet shutdown on February 8.
Murtaza Solangi said on Monday: “Local authorities have the power to decide to shut down the internet considering the law and order situation, but so far no such situation has been reported.”
Earlier on Sunday, Balochistan’s Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai announced that internet services at sensitive polling stations across the province would remain temporarily restricted on election day.
Talking about the law and order situation, Dr Gohar Ejaz on Tuesday said the government was striving to conduct elections peacefully without loss of lives.
The newspaper quoted Dr. Gohar Ejaz as saying, “The election atmosphere in Sindh is full of excitement and no political party seems to have any animosity with the other.” He added that there was no evidence of tension among the candidates in the state.
The interior minister said the government provides three tiers of security: the police, the private army, and the military. “Special forces will be deployed in Balochistan to respond in the shortest possible time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday upheld an injunction order directing authorities to provide uninterrupted internet services, including mobile internet services, across the country until the February 8 elections, Geo News reported.
On January 24, the Sindh High Court directed relevant authorities to ensure uninterrupted access to internet services for all citizens until the February 8 elections.
During the hearing of the case today, Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi of the Sindh High Court expressed regret over the suspension of internet services and said, “How can other places do this when the internet is not even working? Will I be able to use the internet?” [judges]”He said the internet appears to be functioning properly after the election,” Geo News added.
The High Court adjourned the hearing until February 21 as Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) lawyer did not appear in court.
Independent candidate and rights activist Jibran Nasir had filed a petition with the SHC ahead of the general election, protesting the frequent suspension of internet services in the country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)