The people of Karachi were greeted Friday morning with yet another cell phone suspension over the so-called notion of security concerns after the failure of the law enforcement agencies to check terrorist attacks and activities of criminal gangs.
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Cell phones will remain silent until 3 p.m. in the port city of nearly 18 million people on the orders by Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
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Malik says there was a terror threat in Karachi for Friday and mobile phone services would be closed until 3 p.m.
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The minister, who had been under fire, even by several ministers, for taking decisions on his own to close down mobile service, Malik claimed that all stake-holders were consulted and preparations are underway to increase security around religious institutions. He said the police patrolling will also be improved.
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The cell phone ban was imposed a day after a gunman shot dead two religious scholars and their driver in Karachi, the incident sparked protest and strong condemnation of the failure of the police and other law enforcement agencies in the commercial hub of the country.
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Nearly 10 other people were also killed in Karachi on Thursday in different incidents of violence and the ministers came up with claims that the anti-state elements are trying to destabilize the country.
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Suspension of mobile phone service is now almost a routine as the Interior Minister always claims of security threats, the notion rejected by majority in the country. People are now deprive of cell phone service on public holidays and Friday?s.
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It is now an easy thing for the government to block mobile service on the strange plea of security concerns that the militants use cell phones to plan and carry out attacks and that the planners also pass on information to the facilitators of terror suspects.
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Mobile phone companies are also helpless but to obey the orders by the state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
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Rehman Malik always takes credit for shutting down cell phone service over security concerns but people argue that it is not the solution and the government has to improve security and intelligence system.
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His action had even prompted condemnation from his own ministers. Federal Minister Syed Khurshid Shah said last month that the decision to block mobile service is being taken by Rehman Malik on his own and that it is not the government?s decision.
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The Interior Minister claims that 90 per cent of the bombs set off by militants have been detonated using cell phones.
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People in Karachi say they are facing a lot of problems after mobile service goes off as some people cannot call for emergency ambulance service.
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Many do not agree with the government?s stand of security concerns over the mobile phone service as the problem of terror attacks is not only the issue in Karachi. If the government has security concerns over the use of mobile by the militants, then a day can come when the government would argue to close the service across Pakistan.
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Residents in Karachi say that the mobile users faced communication at around 10:45 am and when the media contacted the companies they said they have suspended the service after the PTA asked them.
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The consumers are helpless and the government and its institutions are powerful to take any decision and any time.
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Officials say that the militants in Pakistan often detonate bombs using cell phones and the government has implemented similar service suspensions in the past. But the authorities should also come up with a clear stand whether it is the only solution to the problem to shut mobile service?
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