Pakistan suspends cellular phone services in Islamabad for 3-day OIC session

Islamabad: The Pakistan government has decided to suspend cellular phone services in some areas of Islamabad for three days beginning Friday in view of the three-day OIC session being held in capital city.

However, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said that a final decision was yet to be taken.

Pakistan is hosting the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers conference in Islamabad. The three-day event begins on Friday and the Council of Foreign Ministers will convene on December 19 chaired by Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on a request from the interior ministry has ordered cellular phone companies to suspend services in some areas of Islamabad on December 17, 18, and 19.

Shortly after the orders were reported by TV channels, the federal interior minister said that a final decision would be made on Friday.

Offices of the National Assembly and Senate Secretariat have also been closed for the conference from December 13 to 20 and employees have been sent on leave for this period, Samaa TV reported.

There will be no meeting of the Public Accounts Committee or Standing Committees at Parliament House till December 20.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived here early on Friday to attend the 17th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), being held on December 19.

The delegation comprised of Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud al-Kabir, head of the Afghan affairs department in Saudi Arabia, and Prince Jiluwi bin Turki, head of PP department. (UNI)