ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) approached Chief Justice Qazi Faez against the unannounced disruption of mobile and internet services across the country on Election Day.
PPP Senator Taj Haider on Thursday wrote a letter to the CJP stating that the unannounced disruptions of internet and mobile network connectivity on Thursday (February 08) is severely impacting the general elections. He sent the letter’s copies to the chief justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) and to the chief justice of all the provincial high courts.
Earlier in the day, the PPP, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had invited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s attention towards the disruption of mobile and internet services across the country.
The letter cited the 2018 order of the IHC for not suspending the mobile and the internet services on the polling day.
Senator Haider in his letter maintained that due to this countrywide disruption of the mobile and the internet services, voters are unable to access information related to their polling station or coordinate logistics to access the polling stations.
The party requested the apex court to recall clear orders for not suspending internet on polling day as they were given by the IHC in 2018. The PPP termed the suspension of services in violation of the high court’s orders.
“The discontinuation of network services has created problems for voters, candidates, and electoral staff.” Without access to the internet and mobile networks, voters are unable to access vital information about polling stations and follow other electoral procedures and coordinate logistics to access respective polling stations.
It also stated; all the political parties except Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have objected to this announced disruption of internet in the media. The disruption of mobile network has impacted voter turnout. Despite the PPP’s request to the ECP, the services have not been restored, it further stated.
On Thursday morning, the Ministry of Interior suspended cellular services “temporarily” across Pakistan as part of security measures.
An Interior Ministry’s spokesperson said that precious lives were lost in recent incidents of terrorism in the country in the run-up to the general elections.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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